They have been a terrible two years -- and yet I have a queer feeling of thankfulness for them -- as if they had brought me something very precious, with all their pain.  I wouldn't want to go back and be the girl I was two years ago, not even if I could....And still," -- Rilla gave a little apologetic laugh, "I don't want to suffer any more -- not even for the sake of more soul growth.  At the end of two more years I might look back and be thankful for the development they had brought me, too; but I don't want it now."  ~L.M. Montgomery, "Rilla of Ingleside"

Olivia and I just finished reading the entire Anne of Green Gables series, and this section where Rilla talks about her experiences during WWI made me think about the current COVID situation.

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, you faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."  James 1:2-4 MSG

We wouldn't have picked our current situation, but we are making the most of it, stewarding each day as it comes, doing our best to keep our choices faithful and our hearts soft as God does His work in us.  Aaron continues to work on the translation project and to leave the results up to the Lord.  The girls and I continue to practice music, hone our minds with school, care for our bodies with good food and exercise, and nurture those around us.  The goal that we all seek?  "Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed," even when we agree with Rilla that we wouldn't have chosen this particular path.