Last night we spent the evening at church and had wonderful food and fellowship. We stayed too late and ate too much and laughed TOO hard, but it was a great time. Today we are busy preparing for the new year. We are packing away the Christmas decor and I am making menus and shopping lists for the upcoming month. I am reorganizing my household notebook in an attempt to get “back on track” with it. I fell out of that routine after Kate’s birth and am anxious to get back to a good schedule around here.
As I look back on 2008 the only word I can use is “roller coast“. From pneumonia and pleurisy (an infection in the lining of the lungs) in January and February for me to tubal surgery for Josiah’s ears the end of February and then we found out that we were unexpectedly pregnant with our fourth child. Then Josiah fell in May and broke his arm for the second time in six months. This second break resulted in ongoing medical testing and appointments with specialists throughout the summer and into the first part of September when the doctors all finally came to the conclusion that he was fine and released him with a clean bill of health. Then Maggie was in the hospital over night due to a kidney infection the middle of September and then Kate was born the following week. Since then things have been a little less crazy except for the normal no sleeping, crying, and all around tiring work of a newborn.
On the high notes we were able to watch our oldest make the salvation decision this year. And also watched as God walked us through the valley of life long illness with one of our children and then as He released us from that path and gave him a clean bill of health. We were also blessed by the birth of our fourth child. She is a joy and a blessing from God. Our children have grown this year, as have Joe and I in many ways. God has allowed my oldest daughters to begin to realize that in our ministry we are blessed to be able to give to others that have less than we do. God has given us so much and in turn we are teaching our children to give to others, to the point of personal sacrifice. And what a blessing it has been to watch our children pack up toys for needy kids, load baskets of food for those in our church with less, and to do all this so willing. I pray that God would teach me to have that same selfless love for others as they do.
As we approach this new year, I pray that all of you may be blessed beyond all you could hope or imagine by our awesome and loving God. I pray for my family and yours that He will do whatever necessary to draw us to a closer, deeper walk with Him. May God bless you in 2009!
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