A Look Back

So 2008 is over and I thought I would take a moment to look back at the year and forward some to the future before I start my work for today.

Here is a list of some of the things I did this past year...

• We brought home Cici, the tiny white puppy on New Year's Day. She quickly became a member of our family, and I became a lover of at least one dog. Grace turned nine in January. She had a Luau slumber party. She is becoming a tweenie. Those little girls all sang along with the High School Musical gang with enthusiasm.


• In February my dad, Don, scared us to death after falling and hitting his head. We thought he was having a stroke, but it turned out to be fluid on his brain. He did have surgery to take care of the problem and it took him several weeks to recover, but he is doing well now.


• In March Jackson became a christian. We had several talks and he really understood what he was doing and very much wanted to make that decision. His Grandad (Philip's father) came over to baptize him as he had done with Grace.


• Also in March we had to move my parents into assisted living. My mother had been have confusing health problems over the past months and the doctors finally decided that she was suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's ). It was a hard thing to have to move them, but it allowed us to be close enough to take care of their needs.


• April brought us Jackson's 7th birthday. He had a host of wild boys over for a Harry Potter birthday. They played crazy games and made pipe cleaner glasses.


• May was the month that I will never forget. On Mother's Day my mother passed away. It was unexpected. We knew she had a terminal illness, but believed that she still had years left. Her passing was something that has changed my life forever. I will miss her always.


• June was another tough month. My dad (who is actually my step-father) moved away to Spokane. He has daughters who live up there and felt it was time to be with them again.


• July...honestly the summer was a blur...there was a lot of introspection and just being. I would not have made it through without Jenn and the boys hanging out with us at the pool.


• August brought me to a new job. I was thrilled to be moving to my Alma mater, GHS. There are some great kids there and a great staff. Some of the people I work with have encouraged me and I have enjoyed many amazing conversations. There are also some rather crazy teachers there who have kept me entertained.


• September was a blur of learning my way around a new curriculum and a busy life of baseball and viola practice. We also said goodbye to a little girl who touched many, many lives.


• October was more of the blur. I took a trip to Atlanta. We had Halloween. Philip continued to spend a great deal of time with other committee members searching for a new youth minister and I spent time with other committee members discussing the future of our church.


• November brought my first attempt to dance on stage, as well as Thanksgiving. We went to my Aunt's house this year in Graham. That was very nice. Usually we spend most of Thanksgiving with the Foresters, but they were meeting in North Carolina this year and that was just too much of a trip for us. Aunt Jane invited us to her house. I hadn't spent a Thanksgiving with them since I was a teenager and it was very comforting to be with people who not only understood my sadness at missing my mother, but missed her just as much.


• And finally December. I was dreading Christmas this year. I knew it would not be the same as any other and I wasn't sure how I would handle it. But, it went well. The kids were thrilled that Santa brought them a Wii. (Philip was too...) We had a great time with Philip's family (despite the fact that some of them were very disappointed with my presidential choice). We even went to a Star's game on New Year's Eve and I watched my son become a real sports fan.

Over all this has been a tough year, but there have also been a lot of good things. I have hopes for 2009. I pray that we will grow in the Lord and make the choices that He desires for us. I also pray that the Lord will bless you.

Happy New Year!