Good Saturday to you on this last day of the year 2022. Our weather is cooperating for a nice New Year's Eve, which will be good for those who venture out. We are, and have always been homebodies when it comes to New Year's Eve. Expect we will enjoy a few snacks, maybe pizza for Joel, and a movie if we can find one we would even enjoy! This girl will try to make it til 10 pm and I am not kidding.....I really find myself needing my Woolie comforter and bed by 9:30 at the latest. Today we talked about our first New Year's Eve together when we were at Joel's home farm in MN. We went up to the church just a quarter mile away, and rang the church bells at midnight.... 68 times for the year 1968 beginning. And what a year it was! A good memory from so many years ago.
A quick update: We will be heading to the retina specialist Tuesday and see what is going on...hopefully good things as a surgery is in my near future. I continue to have a sore eye that waters and waters...and blurry vision in the other eye, but I am making it work as best I can. The tooth extraction on the 12th was a challenge and I ended up on two weeks on antibiotics but now all is well and healing is almost there. Joel's stress test results were normal. YES!
Now moving on from the medical updates, how was your Christmas? Ours was good. Our oldest son came on the 18th and we made 10 dozen Townhouse cookies (his request to learn) and had a nice meal together. Enjoyed the hugs the most! We were alone for most of the holiday, except for Christmas Day afternoon when my sister Kay and her hubby Dan came over for pie and a visit. I think what made it "the best Christmas ever" was talking to 4 of 5 of our kids who called either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the day after to visit with their parents. We went to church Christmas Eve, then came home for our usual opening of one present from each other and pie. The pie is pretty important......especially for the now retired preacher. Being a pastor meant long hours at Christmas, usually starting with a barn service and ending with a Candlelight service Christmas Eve. Sometimes church Christmas Day. Not like Lent and Easter, but hectic nonetheless. So, the quiet time with the two of us began in the early years where we set aside time to fill the stockings (at one time 10) and then opening a gift and having pie. We continue it today even though the number of stockings is down to 2.
Did anyone see the Steve Hartman special on Kindness, on Wednesday night? It was so touching, so good, so needed. Just a little more kindness is what we all need. Towards others......and even towards ourselves. Speaking of that, someone left a box of candy in our mailbox again this year from a Monastery in Dubuque Iowa. It is all handmade by nuns in the Abbey, packaged and sent out. We received one last year and have know idea who put it in our mailbox...and this year too! What a nice surprise....a kind thing to do.
Yesterday I was able to connect with my friend Katherine, from New Hampshire. We met through a Lyme Disease prayer group so very long ago. She is the person who talked to us about healing, and God wanting us well. She recommended a teacher we should listen to....we did that Joel was completely healed of Lyme, co-infections, thyroid disease, an eye disease, and arthritis. Completely....just. like. that. We actually got to meet in person in 2013 at a Healing Conference in CT. She is younger than most of our kids,and has a wise old soul. We try to keep in touch via the phone and messaging....when we pick up the phone to talk it is like time melts and we are family catching up. She has been such a blessing from God in our lives.
So now we are coming to the end of another year. I have been asking God for a word to focus on and the word HOPE has come up so many times, I really can't ignore it. HOPE. We are ready for 2022 to end, and stepping out in hope for 2023. We have our tent "pitched in the land of hope" as David says in the Psalms.
With hope for tomorrow we are grateful today for the many blessings that came our way in 2022....God's Presence as we walked through the days....good doctors, good reports, good support, the many prayers of others. Grateful for graduations, confirmation, birthdays, family gatherings, phone calls, texts, and emails. Grateful for each other....celebrating our 55th New Year's Eve together. Grateful for medications, miracles, and promises. Grateful for the love of family and their support. Grateful to close the door on a challenging year while giving thanks on how God was in the midst of it all. He is faithful.
Enjoy your weekend.
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