“I just wanted to tell you that you guys are one of the only families who haven’t used electronic media the whole time you were here.  You look like you really enjoy each other!”  The compliment came from a waitress at Pasqual’s, a popular restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we had traveled for a few days to celebrate my husband’s birthday.  It was a lovely thing to hear — because it was a compliment that rang true that evening.   All of us — Mom, Dad, 15-year old Nicholas, 12-year old Noah and 6-year old Cody, were truly enjoying each other’s conversation — all the little moments of wittiness, silliness, humor, funniness, laughter, guffaws, and grins.  While there have certainly been outings in public where things haven’t gone as smoothly, I so appreciated the compliment that night because it was a recognition of who our family strives to be — harmonious instead of fractious, building up instead of tearing down, appreciative of each other’s quirks and eccentricities, and loving even our difficult, not-so-loving selves at times.  It was a night when we were our best selves —  reflecting God’s love and grace in how we treated and and appreciated one another.  And the gift of love that we shared with each other that evening actually overflowed and our joy spilled onto another and blessed her too.  It is so true that our best witness to our Faith is how we live our daily lives!