His Abundance...My Cup Runneth Over!

As I sat & read over my last post, which admittedly was written far too long ago, I hear my own words of anticipation of what the year ahead would bring. It has been an amazing year & I am quick to praise & thank God for every bit of it!

We did indeed find a new home, well to be truthful, GOD found us a new home! It most assuredly fell into our laps & is perfect. We have used every inch of it over the last few months celebrating family events, welcoming friends & family & taking stock of just how awesome our God truly is. Norm & have to pinch ourselves when we see what He has provided to us! I uttered these words to Norm as summer was winding down that this truly has been the best summer I have had in more years than I can count. To have a place that is our own, to be able to welcome all those we love into it, to have a place of privacy & peace of mind is such a beautiful gift. Words cannot express our gratitude!


This year brought my son Alex's engagement to his beautiful girlfriend Jen! Hence, one of the family events we were privileged to celebrate in our new home. We could not be happier for them! They are a sweet, loving & fun couple & I pray that God would bless them both as they clasp hands & head down this road together. I pray that they always remember that they have so many people who love them & that no matter what life brings, they are not along this journey alone.

My daughter has just entered her senior year of college. That completely blows my mind! Alex turned 24 this week & Sam will be 21 the next. How is this possible? As I said in my last post, life marches on! We are so excited for Sam as she makes plans for what's next, but are grateful that she views this year as something special, something she doesn't want to just "get through". She is embracing this time in her life & is looking with anticipation & a certain amount of anxiety at what comes next. She has many ideas about what she'd like to "do with her life" & I pray she explores them all. I also pray that she would lean on God & HIS direction for her life. We make our plans, but He directs our paths! She is smart, beautiful & I have no doubt that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to & truly wants. I am pulling for you sweet girl!

This year I lost a dear friend to cancer. She fought a good fight & lived 2 courageous years with the disease. I am grateful for the time we had together, having been reunited about a year and a half ago. Val was sweet, funny, stylish, loving mother, wife & friend. She was my childhood friend & I will miss her terribly. I am grateful for the hope of the life after this where we will once again share hugs, laughter & tears of joy together! Until that day, I pray for God's comfort & healing on her beautiful family.

I realize that I may be sounding like a broken record, but despite some of the tough stuff this year, we are eternally grateful to our heavenly Father for lavishing such blessings on us. For those of our friends & family who are struggling right now, we offer our support, prayer & love. Please know that He promises to "never leave you nor forsake you"...and neither will we.

We are grateful for our beautiful family, for the love we share, the health in our bodies, the life we are blessed with. We are grateful for our jobs which allow us to continue to move past the struggles of our past & move forward to more promising times. We are grateful for the friends God has seen fit to bring into our lives, those who love us (no matter what) & who continue to pray for us. We promise to do likewise.

But above it all, we are grateful for the love of our Father - our provider, our strength, our courage, our future. All we have is His & we hold onto it all loosely, knowing that we need to be generous with what has been given. We are ultimately & supremely grateful that Heaven is our home & that when we pass through this moment in time, we will spend all of eternity in the presence of our King. And for as much as we love our new home...it pales in comparison to the HOME He is preparing for us!

Life Marches On...

January, 2011. Hard to believe. Also hard to believe I haven't sat & put thoughts down here since May! A new year. Once again. What will we make of it? What lies ahead? What changes do we want to make? What changes will be made for us?

These types of questions always plague me as a new year rolls around. I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm not necessarily talking about "resolutions", although those are pretty popular this time of year. All you need do is walk into your local gym to see that's true. I'm talking about anticipation. Some will be good. Some, possibly, not so good. We can make choices for our lives, but how much is not really in our control? It's a time to take stock, to reassess, to evaluate. A time to make decisions about our future. Or at least the next few months. Norm & I have been looking for a house. We're really excited about this & have approached it with a sense of adventure. But as the months have rolled by with no luck in finding the "right place", our excitement is slowly being replaced with discouragement. We made a decision about our future, but circumstances have not complied! And that...is....life. Don't get me wrong, we're not hanging our heads, by no means. We are pushing forward, making our plans. But I have to wonder how much of it is really in our hands? We like to think we can plan our future, decide where we'll live, work, how many kids we'll have, etc. But how much is really in our control?

Our kids were home for the holidays & it was a wonderful time! So fabulous to have us all under the same roof for a time again! We had family in town & got closer to extended family as my son's girlfriend & family spent time with us as well. It was impossible to imagine a time like this when they were children. In that time, its hard to fathom things like children living away from you, moving to different parts of the country, going to college, graduating from college, having girlfriends/boyfriends who are potential spouses! No matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, its hard to not feel like "it will always be this way". Reality is, life marches on. It grows, it changes, it adds & detracts from our circle. It brings joy, it brings pain. It brings successes, it brings failures. It brings gain, it brings loss. Who can really know what is around the corner?

It's in understanding that, that I must come to faith. I must wholeheartedly believe that the God of this universe, my Abba Father, has my life in His hands. No matter what life brings, no matter where I find myself, I am His. He gives me all I need to live this life. He provides my intellect, my strength, my ability to work, to find joy. If I'm smart, I'll remember to also ask Him for wisdom in order to handle the things that life brings my way. Most importantly though, He gives me love. Because He IS love and I am HIS, I therefore have His love in me. He gives me the ability to love all those around me. Because He first loved me. (1 John 4:19) It's truly believing that He loves me & walks with me at all times, during the good, the bad & the ugly, that my faith allows me to move forward each & every day.

And let us not forget to celebrate this life that we have been given! It is a gift! It will be short, so enjoy the moments, put pettiness aside, don't waste time. Laugh often, love always. Because life marches on...