Goodbye 2018
...And as much as I'd like to say, "good riddance," I just can't bring myself to do so. Why? Because, despite the many things that were troublesome, had gone wrong, that were heart-wrenching, there were so many good things that happened.
First, my oldest turned 35. Mouse, in all of her glory, had a special dinner at the restaurant of her choice (Red Robin...mmkay), and a birthday cake with a pink tardis on the top! What a hoot that was, and our server made that night even more special! It was a wonderful time had by our family.
Our springtime brought a new sewer pipe system to our home. Goodbye tree roots through the pipe, and hello free-moving waste. LOL! Okay, that's a little weird to celebrate a new sewer pipe, but I'll tell you, it was indeed a cause for celebration! LOL!
March brought birthdays 6 & 7 for my Granddaughters, and a wonderful birthday party for them. They had so much fun, complete with a bounce house and water fights.
May brought another birthday to my Punky...one more step toward the big 3-0! Such a beauty and we couldn't be more proud of her success in her job.
May also was a celebration of 59 years together in marital bliss for my parents💕. I look forward to being able to say they've been married for 60, 65, 70...
Summertime...well, that was the time that she (my Punky) also had another big step occur. Her then boyfriend rented a beach house, had it filled with balloons, and popped the question. We now have a May wedding being planned! 💍So excited!
August my Hubby and I celebrated 32 years of marriage, and we're looking forward to many more years to come! 💖
Sometimes in the midst of pain, we also see humor. Late fall was difficult, with my Dad's stroke, but there were a couple of times, just hours after it happened, that the banter between Dad and me was humorous, even if it was macabre. Still, the fact that he is still with us, and is mostly doing well, is a cause for praising God, because the amount of time between his initial symptoms and the time he got treatment, as well as the location of the clot, well, it could have been a much different outcome if God had not stepped in.
Just recently a dear friend of mine was told to say goodbye to cancer! That is something to shout on the rooftops about!
Christmas Eve brought a horrible accident to some wonderful, dear friends. The best news of course is that they both survived the crash, he walked away with only some bruising, she did not fare as well, with her back broken in two places and a severed spinal cord. She is still hospitalized and waiting on surgery, but she is alive, and she is being taken care of by some of the best in the business. Not to mention the incredible outpouring of intercessory prayers in her behalf. This woman has touched the theater community with her love and talent, and so many are pulling for a good outcome.
Even though this is tough, I am so grateful to God for her, for sparing her, and for His healing. She is an example to all of us, and we are all praying that she'll be with us for a good number of years to continue blessing us with her talent, wit, and love.
The rest of the year, well, mostly it was good, even though a few things that were not the best happened. Still, each day that we awoke, had a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, clothes on our backs, transportation, a job, good friends, family, faith...each of these things makes me remember how faithful God is, and how much He has blessed us.
We can look on the past year and say, "good riddance," or we can look at it and say, "Wow! Look at all that God has done in our lives!" Unfortunately, like a lot of folks, though, we tend to dwell on the things that went wrong, which may have only been a couple of things, and don't look at what went right. I get that sometimes, your life gets a whammy that totally destroys anything that may have been positive. I am absolutely not downplaying that. Those are the things that make it difficult to face each new day, but even in the midst of those storms, is it possible to see the good? I believe so.
So many times we allow the bad to overshadow everything. We essentially turn into Eeyore with skin on. Every day is a gloomy day. That little black rain cloud? There's no silver lining. Missing your tail? Hmm...that's one analogy I'm not sure how to work with. Anyway, you get my drift, I hope. The rain cloud could be the water that seed of encouragement needs to get growing, whether it's the prospect of a new job, a new city, a new family...the possibilities are endless with God in control. The gloomy day? Perhaps it is indicative of needing to slow down for a minute...to enjoy a good book, spend time with loved ones, or just to commune with our Creator. See? Even in the things considered not the best, we can find that which is good.
Yeah, 2018 in my book was not the best of times. The things that went wrong threw me for a loop more than once, but...
There were at least 300 other days that brought joy, laughter, blessings, and so much more.
Okay, 2019, let's get this party started! God's got this, and I'm looking forward to the many, many blessings that He has set aside for me, my family and friends.
Here's praying that your 2019 is filled to the top and over-flowing with more blessings than you can dream of.
First, my oldest turned 35. Mouse, in all of her glory, had a special dinner at the restaurant of her choice (Red Robin...mmkay), and a birthday cake with a pink tardis on the top! What a hoot that was, and our server made that night even more special! It was a wonderful time had by our family.
Our springtime brought a new sewer pipe system to our home. Goodbye tree roots through the pipe, and hello free-moving waste. LOL! Okay, that's a little weird to celebrate a new sewer pipe, but I'll tell you, it was indeed a cause for celebration! LOL!
March brought birthdays 6 & 7 for my Granddaughters, and a wonderful birthday party for them. They had so much fun, complete with a bounce house and water fights.
May brought another birthday to my Punky...one more step toward the big 3-0! Such a beauty and we couldn't be more proud of her success in her job.
May also was a celebration of 59 years together in marital bliss for my parents💕. I look forward to being able to say they've been married for 60, 65, 70...
Summertime...well, that was the time that she (my Punky) also had another big step occur. Her then boyfriend rented a beach house, had it filled with balloons, and popped the question. We now have a May wedding being planned! 💍So excited!
August my Hubby and I celebrated 32 years of marriage, and we're looking forward to many more years to come! 💖
Sometimes in the midst of pain, we also see humor. Late fall was difficult, with my Dad's stroke, but there were a couple of times, just hours after it happened, that the banter between Dad and me was humorous, even if it was macabre. Still, the fact that he is still with us, and is mostly doing well, is a cause for praising God, because the amount of time between his initial symptoms and the time he got treatment, as well as the location of the clot, well, it could have been a much different outcome if God had not stepped in.
Just recently a dear friend of mine was told to say goodbye to cancer! That is something to shout on the rooftops about!
Christmas Eve brought a horrible accident to some wonderful, dear friends. The best news of course is that they both survived the crash, he walked away with only some bruising, she did not fare as well, with her back broken in two places and a severed spinal cord. She is still hospitalized and waiting on surgery, but she is alive, and she is being taken care of by some of the best in the business. Not to mention the incredible outpouring of intercessory prayers in her behalf. This woman has touched the theater community with her love and talent, and so many are pulling for a good outcome.
Even though this is tough, I am so grateful to God for her, for sparing her, and for His healing. She is an example to all of us, and we are all praying that she'll be with us for a good number of years to continue blessing us with her talent, wit, and love.
The rest of the year, well, mostly it was good, even though a few things that were not the best happened. Still, each day that we awoke, had a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, clothes on our backs, transportation, a job, good friends, family, faith...each of these things makes me remember how faithful God is, and how much He has blessed us.
We can look on the past year and say, "good riddance," or we can look at it and say, "Wow! Look at all that God has done in our lives!" Unfortunately, like a lot of folks, though, we tend to dwell on the things that went wrong, which may have only been a couple of things, and don't look at what went right. I get that sometimes, your life gets a whammy that totally destroys anything that may have been positive. I am absolutely not downplaying that. Those are the things that make it difficult to face each new day, but even in the midst of those storms, is it possible to see the good? I believe so.
So many times we allow the bad to overshadow everything. We essentially turn into Eeyore with skin on. Every day is a gloomy day. That little black rain cloud? There's no silver lining. Missing your tail? Hmm...that's one analogy I'm not sure how to work with. Anyway, you get my drift, I hope. The rain cloud could be the water that seed of encouragement needs to get growing, whether it's the prospect of a new job, a new city, a new family...the possibilities are endless with God in control. The gloomy day? Perhaps it is indicative of needing to slow down for a minute...to enjoy a good book, spend time with loved ones, or just to commune with our Creator. See? Even in the things considered not the best, we can find that which is good.
Yeah, 2018 in my book was not the best of times. The things that went wrong threw me for a loop more than once, but...
There were at least 300 other days that brought joy, laughter, blessings, and so much more.
Okay, 2019, let's get this party started! God's got this, and I'm looking forward to the many, many blessings that He has set aside for me, my family and friends.
Here's praying that your 2019 is filled to the top and over-flowing with more blessings than you can dream of.
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