Friday, January 2, 2009

New Year

Happy New Year to everyone out there. We are back from our week of recovery following Christmas, and it was a nice break away. We stayed at a hotel in the Twin Cities that had a pool, so I swam twice a day with Sierra. She loved it and is now able to jump into the pool all by herself - a big step in her swimming development.

We also spent some time catching up with old friends. A lot of my college and seminary friends live in the Cities, and this week I got to see an old roommate and his family. It had been a few years since I last saw Per, but when we get together it is like time stood still. We reflect back on our time at school, catch up on where we are today, and laugh like we had never been apart. Being able to reconnect with old friends is a true blessing, and being able to see where life has taken us is a true gift.

For me, the new year always brings with it a time of reflection - reflecting on the past year (or years) and looking forward to what awaits me in the future. As I sit and reflect now, I look back on a year filled with joy - the birth of a new daughter, the exciting growth of Sierra, the wonderful times spent with Jennifer, and the joys of all the ministries and events at the church. It was a truly blessed year for me.

And as I look forward to 2009 I am filled with joy as well. Even with the world being as crazy as it is right now, there are so many great things going on here. People in the church are excited and fired up to share their gifts and reach out in new and exciting ways, and our family is doing well and we will see first steps and new school journeys in the next year.

As for me, I am just basking in the blessedness I have been given. God is good, and God will continue to bring new adventures my way, which I will happily share with others.

So as we enter into this new year, may your eyes be opened to the blessings you have been given. May you see God at work in your life everyday. And may you always know that you are a beloved child of God.

1 comment:

lula said...

Happy New Year to you too! Looking back on this year, I hung out in the church nursery a lot, I became a godmother to a precious girl, I made some new friends, I hung out at McDonald's a lot with a cute girl, I went to Chuckie Cheese with my great nephews, I went to Minnesota to visit an awesome boy, I mentored a confirmation student, I substitute taught, AND I kinda learned to cook some stuff for my friend going through chemo. She and her family ACTUALLY survived my cooking!

As for what's to come, I want to do some volunteer work, continue substitute teaching, do better at making time for friends, spend more time with my great nephews so we can make some memories, and I want to continue to hang out with cute children. PLUS, I have some personal goals I want to work on but won't share here. It's nice to actually put this in writing.