Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Our sermon yesterday was a great reminder of the Top 10 Resolutions and why only 1% actually do them… Can mine be this year that at the end of the year I can say I was a better wife, mother, friend, and daughter to the King??? Could I say that I was more loving, patient, kind, long suffering, and full of grace? The weight, spending/savings, and vices will always be the issue. This year, I think I will take a different approach.
With 3 teenager daughters under our roof, I am reminded of how much I LOVE MY LITTLES! They won’t be Littles for long, but I appreciate every day I have with them. They shoveled our porch today, and then wanted to go help our widow neighbor with her driveway… Kids are amazing.
Who is my sister? My one and only true girlfriend. She is beautiful obviously, but she is more than that. She is always striving to be real. To balance her giftings between what the world would use her for, and what God can use her for. She seeks authenticity in all relationships, even if that means spending most of her time in the trenches. She is constantly seeking truth, and struggling with the pain that truth often brings. Her only desire in life is for her family to be loved for who they are, not what they offer to others, and for her eternal search for that BFF, knowing all along that her only chance for any of that is through her Christ who loves her unconditionally, even on bad hair days. I love her and always pray for God’s protection over her vulnerable life. I pray for her to have good, faithful friends who can love on her when I am not physically near her. I pray for her to have safety and protection from the enemy’s attacks against her family, ministry, and life. I pray that the time is short between our visits. I pray that I have just one day a month where I look as hot as she looks on her worst days. I pray that people start thinking she is the “smart one” and that I am the “cute one.” :*) Thanks, Tam, for being in my dolphin pod, being a pearl in my life, and always holding me accountable for never purchasing or wearing “teacher sweaters.” I love you!!!
Jessica and Johnny both listed a White Christmas as one of their three Christmas wishes in their letters to Santa… but this is ridiculous!!!! In December, we have already had about 17 inches more than normal, and this is the most snow we have had since we moved here 7 years ago. Yes, it is beautiful. This morning, it is just shoveling, plowing, clearing, and yes, a bit of complaining by the daddy doing all of the outside work. As the mommy, I guess I will have to throw on another pot of cocoa and change the plans from laundry to sledding and fire stoking. Amazing how little in life actually HAS to be done when it is not really safe to go out on the roads. Today, as always, we are at the mercy of the weather (a sweet reminder that God is always in charge).
This is what I am feeling today. It has been snowing all day, and I have been tidying up a bit, watching movies with my kids, sitting by a blazing fire… all tucked in by God and a blanket of white stuff. I am working through a study called “Calm My Anxious Heart”, by Linda Dillow. It has been a great journey through God’s Word, and our call to be satisfied in Christ no matter what the circumstances. The “rules” are:
Usually easier said than done. But not today. “The Lord is my peace. I shall not live in anxiety. He puts me under His wing of comfort and calms my spirit within me. And I shall keep my mind stayed on Him forever.” Gotta run, the hot cocoa is ready!
Merry Christmas! It is so hard to be away from our extended family on the holidays. The great news is that we had a white Christmas, Santa came, and we had a wonderful day enjoying each other. The kids were up at 1am to spy Santa’s treasures, and the day officially started at 7am with stockings, gifts, breakfast, and playtime. We had a wonderful feast of grilled steak, garlic potatoes, corn pudding, and chocolate pie. We played in the snow, with our new stuff, and with each other all day long. It is hard to believe that Nicole is almost grown, and that our Christmas’ together our becoming numbered. The best part of the day was hearing Chrissy say “Santa did good.”
[rockyou 96637421]
With two weeks off for Christmas Break, I look forward to reconnecting with my home, family, and “life” before full-time employment. As we are learning at church, destination and vision are important, but the journey is the vital piece for our lives. I find that if you keep your eye only on the end result, you miss the process… and the process can be filled with amazing moments, times of grace, and lifelong learning experiences. As I seek to record our life and connect to those I love, I invite you on the journey we call life.
