Living in God's Grace in 2013

As 2013 comes to an end and 2014 begins, it's a reminiscing yet contemplating time ... taking a look back yet looking forward to what the new year may hold.  Over the past few days I've changed this post a few times -- but no matter what I had written, the theme is always the same ...

God is good
God is gracious
God is generous

God is simply enough.


So, here's a look back at how God's grace brought our family through 2013 ...

Tag had a sick-stay in the hospital the last few days of 2012 and  made it home on 
New Year's Eve just in time to ring in 2013 (well, he was actually asleep -- but at least he was home & not in the hospital). 

He was anxious to see his big sister at home!  Oh, and I almost forgot ---
Tag started walking soon after he came home from the hospital -- our house will never be the same :)

And on February 9th we celebrated
Thomas Alexander's FIRST birthday!!!

... and we celebrated Mrs. 'Joe & Mr. 'Joe's birthdays too in February --- 

{and 'Joes birthday is also his Alive Day -- the day God protected his life from the enemy rockets that were meant to kill him ... 
puts a whole new perspective on birthdays in our family}

We said our final earthly good-bye to my dear Uncle Larry in early March. He had a stroke in late February & found peace in the nailed-scarred hands of Jesus 11 days later.  We miss him dearly but he has joined many other of our family -- what a reunion! 
I can still hear him singing Wayfaring Stranger acapella ... 
Godspeed Uncle Larry -- we will see you again.

This is also the birthday month of my favorite person ...

From 1984 to 2013 ...

22 years old to 51 years old ...

My guy.

{I will add this about my husband ... in the midst of his very busy tax season at work, he took the time off to drive me to my Uncle's funeral in my hometown 7 hours away from us.  We had a major snow storm in our area with about 7-9 inches of snow on Wednesday, but Dan & I left on Thursday March 7 at 5pm and went to the funeral on Friday at 11am ... left to come back home at 3pm and got home around 10:30pm ... then he was up by 6am and getting to work on Saturday the 9th which was also his 51st birthday.  And he worked every day straight until April 15th ...  I dearly love this man.}

Easter Sunday was March 31st.  At preschool Lucy & her class made the story of Easter by using plastic Easter eggs.  If you haven't read my post about this, 
please CLICK HERE to read how one little girl retold the Easter promise to me.

   

My parents have always had a special relationship with our daughter ... and now with our grandchildren. They drove over an hour to see Lucy's dancing debut at her recital.

Her group danced to The Muppet Show theme ...

Lucy also completed her first year of preschool!!! Grandad & I are so proud of how she adjusted to school times and met new friends.  Her teachers loved her & she grew -- not only academically but emotionally, socially and most importantly ... spiritually.  This little girl has seen so much "life" in her short time on earth, and she is truly my role model.
(Pic on left is 1st day of preschool in Sept '12 and on right is last day of preschool in
 June '13)

Lucy also went back to Walter Reed to help The General's Kids give some Little Warriors' care packages. Our own Little Warrior has a heart of gold ...

... and then Lucy had a dance photo-shoot. Her dance studio specifically requested if she could be a model!

I turned 49 in 2013 ... it marked my exit from my
Silent Milestone (CLICK HERE to read more)
Have I ever mentioned how blessed I am??? I sure don't do it enough ...
 

Lucy turned a whole hand-full in September -- FIVE years old!!! Oh my ... what can Granny really say about this little girl?  Again, God is sooooooo gracious & so good to us.  Lucy has a heart of gold for others & she brightens up everybody she is around.








My girl ... Lucy ... my girl ... talkin' about my girl ... Lucy ... 
my girl!!!










Lucy found herself in the middle of a surprise birthday party at Stuffy Bear --
it was so very sweet to surprise this little girl with her friends coming to a special party just for her!

... and Tag had a blast with GG, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah and of course his Grandad!

Then ... Tag got sick (again).  Exactly 20 months from his birth, I took Lucy back to the hospital to see her baby brother. When Tag gets sick, he has a tendency to run extremely high fevers.  So, he spent a little time in the hospital for the nice doctors & nurses to help him feel better.  And big sister's visit was just what he needed to feel better!

A couple of weeks later, Lucy got to meet some of her out-of-state family ...

... and her 92 year old Great-Great Mommaw!!!

God is so good
God is so gracious
God is so generous


We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents' house --























... and planned on having the family at our house for Christmas.  But on December 12th, my Daddy had a heart attack.  God was looking after him every moment leading up to the heart attack and afterwards.  Daddy was literally in the "right place at the right time" -- although he wasn't "supposed" to be there at all.  So, Christmas was celebrated at GG & Grandpa's -- well, minus Tag & his Daddy since Tag was sick.

And we all are going to GG & Grandpa's tomorrow (New Year's Day) to see them & 
let Tag have his Christmas with them.  Everyone is so very thankful for our Christmas miracle ... it truly brings the real meaning of Christmas into perspective.  



Our 2013 has been a time of stretching, molding, refining, redefining.  
Although we have no clue as to what 2014 will bring, one thing we do know for certain ...

God is already at 2014 for us.  
He will lead the way ... 
He will direct our paths ... 
He will be in every moment for us.  

{{{ PS ... 2014 will bring about the 30-50-K -- be sure to check back in for more posts }}}

My One-Word

A few years ago Mrs. 'Joe set a challenge she had seen in a book ... write your memoir in six words.  Yes, a six-word memoir.  How can a lifetime be summed up in just six words?  I took her challenge and "discovered" my six-word memoir had actually been a culmination of my entire life.  God actually revealed my memoir to me pretty quickly.  From the various friendships through the years to work environments to ministry involvements ... 

my lifetime was summed up in just six words ...

being where God needs me most

... that's me ... that's my life.

A couple of months ago I started reflecting on the year 2011.  And now I've come up with a challenge of my own: 

Write my year of 2011 in just one word.  

If I could describe my year of 2011 in just one simple word, what would that word be?  Now I'm not talking of words such as:  

blessed, grace, mercy, success ...  

To me there's some words that are obvious that God is active in my life every moment of everyday.

So, I want to dig a bit deeper into myself to find my one-word.  It dawned on me a couple of months ago what my one-word is. 

Life-changing events ... relationships ... health issues ... community ... responsibility ... life-purpose ...  

Yes, I can sum it all up in just one little word ... 

365 days ... 

five letters ... 

my one-word ... 

aware

I know, I know.  It sounds pretty obvious, but to me ... it filters inside my very core.  

I'm aware ... 

I'm aware that my very breath is God-given ... 

I'm aware that each breath is God's gift to me ... 

I'm aware that my next breath is not promised nor guaranteed.  

I'm aware that my family is God's greatest gift to me ... I'm aware that my friendships are God's provision for sharing life's joys & challenges ... I'm aware that health is not to be taken for granted.  Cancer seems to have touched many people within our community just this year.  We are so very thankful that my Mother's surgery in June cleared her from that cancer that was creeping, and that her radiation treatments brought the chances of a return at a minimal. 

I'm aware. 

I'm aware that the tiniest of angels will hold our hearts until we see them again ... I'm aware that life begins at conception no matter when the pregnancy is revealed ... I'm aware that miscarriages affect the whole family & not just the parents.  I'm not quite sure that Grandad & I each had time to grieve the loss of our 6 week old grandchild, but Heaven gained a beautiful angel that we both look forward to meeting one day.  

I'm aware.

I'm aware of expectations ... I'm aware that I may not always know what these expectations are that have been placed on me ... I'm aware that there's times when I fall terribly short from these expectations.  We all do it, and sometimes just don't want to admit it.  But, we set expectations yet do not always inform others of those expectations.  Is it fair to those around us or to ourselves when we set silent expectations on others?  Wouldn't it be best all around to just come right out & say what we expect of others?  We set them up for a downfall in our eyes, and we set ourselves up for frustration over unmet (however *silent* they may be) expectations. 

I'm aware.

I'm aware of my relationships ... I'm aware that my family is the greatest blessing God has entrusted with me ... I'm aware that my grandchildren will grow up before I blink my eyes.  With Lucy 3 years old and our little grandson to make his appearance anytime between now & mid-February, my days go by faster than I have ever imagined.  Time seems to go by at a much faster speed with Lucy than it did with her Mommy (and I worked full-time & had all the activities of school, church & family to keep up with too).  

I'm aware.

I'm aware that some things are more important than others ... I'm aware that when it all comes down to it, some things are just meaningless ... I'm aware that I am the only person who can distinguish between the meaningful and the meaningless to me.  Don't get me wrong, we all have "things" that are important to each of us.  But when we allow something small to get blown out of proportion --- well, maybe that's when we need to take another look at our expectations.  Just a thought for which ... 

I'm aware.

This is just the tip of my awareness of 2011.  My New Year's Resolution for 2012 is simply ...  

to be aware. 

And my priority of awareness is 

to be aware of God ...  

to be aware of His blessings ... 

to be aware of life.

What one-word would you describe for your 2011?  

I encourage you to reflect on your past year ... 

to be reflect on your blessings, your challenges & your very being ... 

to be aware. 

To Be Emptied ... To Be Filled

Christmas 2010 has come & gone.  It really seems like our family had just celebrated Christmas ’09 and then the following week we were celebrating Christmas '10.  I keep asking “where did the year go”, but the answer is the same – time marches on.  Year after year seems to pass by faster.  And with a toddler running around the house, my days go by at a much faster pace.  
Is it really possible that 2010 is already drawing to a close?

As our New Year of 2011 approaches, I realize that I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions.  Maybe I've said things such as ...

“I will be diligent in praying and reading my Bible everyday”

“I will lose the extra weight that’s been attached for the past 15 years”

“I will give more of my time to volunteering”

“I will get my house organized”

“I really will get old family pictures scanned & give the originals back to my Mother”

“I need to just be a better person altogether – be more positive, be more forgiving, be less critical”

But in reality, how long do New Year's resolutions really last?  A week ... two weeks ... or if I'm really industrious, maybe a month.  Perhaps I get caught up in everyday activities ... perhaps I need to manage my time more efficiently ... perhaps I get careless ... perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. 
Then frustration sets in that I haven't accomplished what I had resolved for the New Year.

 

 So this year I have a different resolution.  My New Year’s resolution encompasses every resolution I listed above --- plus ones that I haven’t even thought of yet.  When I taught middle and high school at a Christian school, my motto was

When we focus on God everything falls together,

But when we lose that focus everything falls apart.

Having God as my focal-point allows me to put my faith, trust and complete confidence in Him.  And to know that He works everything for His glory (Romans 8:28) No, this doesn’t mean that I will always get ‘my way’.  But it does mean that I will always get HIS best.  My attitude is then in alignment with His will.    

On the other side, when He is not my focal-point, my main motive is really anything but God’s glory.  For me, this is when I try to do things on my own – without God.  It’s like the old expression “trying to fit a square peg in a round hole”.  No matter how hard I try on my own, I end up frustrated and upset that I’m not getting my way.  Unfortunately, during these times I'm really saying to God “I don’t need you”.  (But in the depths of my heart, I know for a fact that I need Him above anything else).  
My whole attitude is just miserable at that point. 

So, I have actually begun my 2011 New Year’s resolution before 2010 comes to a close.  My resolve is to be emptied of all the empty things that consume me.  God and I are working on my “list” of empty things.  It’s a work in progress as He shows me unnecessary things that I need to let go.  I'm prepared for some growing pains, some stretching, and a lot of time on my knees.  Although I've already been shown a few things to let go of, I know there's plenty more to add to the list.  

My Granny always said that the day she quit learning would be the day that she was with Jesus.  Paul tells us in Philippians that He who began a good work in each of us will be faithful to complete it to the end.  I'm thankful that God loves me enough to continue to mold and shape me into the person He created me to be.  I'm ready --- with His help.

“Empty me of all the empty things that I hold on to, 
Come and fill my heart with You”