Looking Forward to 2008!

To say I'm thankful 2007 is over is a slight understatement. Looking back (which is something I've been told we shouldn't do) it hasn't been the best of years. Though filled with many blessings, it was also filled with a lot of moments that brought to mind I Peter 5:7, "casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you." Lots of health issues, and although, thankfully none life-threatening, enough to make one mentally and physically tired. Superficial scars are just that, superficial. In the grand scheme of things in life, they don't amount to much.

Just a bit of what I have learned from this past year...
that again and again, our God is faithful in all circumstances.
that my eyes need to always be focused on Him and not turned inward.
that though people may disappoint, God does not.
that to have a friend, you need to be a friend.
that friendship is an investment of time.
that I love spending time with my children and I miss them when they are not around.
that I am blessed with a husband who again and again demonstrates his love for me.
that spending time with my extended family will be a priority in the new year.
that sometimes the only thing you can do for someone is pray for them, and that's okay.
that I am scarred and full of flaws and imperfections, yet God has covered me with his grace.

So I will look forward to 2008. I am hopeful to see what God has in store for me. I can only pray that in whatever circumstances I find myself, I can see them as God wants me to see them. With love, with hope, with joy...through knowing Him.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Well, it's less than a week before Christmas. I haven't finished the shopping. Becca is home from Italy. And I still have two more days of school. Sorry...haven't had time to blog.

I'm not sure what is worse...having your beloved family dog of nearly 14 years pass on...or telling your child, who is thousands and thousands of miles away in a foreign country, of the news and hearing her cry and not being able to hug her and comfort her. Either one is not a whole lot of fun. Realizing that it's a part of life that all of us as pet owners will most likely have to experience, well, that helps a bit, but it's still very sad. Life goes on with cherished memories, and we have many, many great ones of which we can be very thankful. Our dear Molly, our rescue dog in the spring of 1994, passed on suddenly, almost overnight, as her body just shut down. We loved her and she loved us. We hated to tell Becca while she was away in Italy, but we thought best to prepare her before she comes home this month. Life just sucks sometimes. How can you feel such joy one minute, and such sadness the next? But we were called to be resilent, to persevere, to go on, taking with us the wonderful memories, knowing God has more blessings in store for us as we seek Him. Our vet sent us a wonderful card with a saying I'd like to share...

We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle...we would still live no other way.

Pray for us as we seek to find another dog. Molly can't be replaced, but we can offer a good home to another dog. We look forward to that. Becca, I hope you can too.