Good Saturday to you as we say good-bye to 2023 tomorrow. Weather wise. It is a strange ending. Yesterday Joel was mulching leaves again. It's chilly but it's the end of December! The animals seem a bit confused by our lack of winter, for sure many of us humans do! Today the sun is shining for the first time in many days. Good to have her back!
Speaking of being back, we were able to have our family gather this past week. So good to have them back and our house be full of people, food, laughter, and conversation. We savor those rare times and give thanks for each one who enters in to stay awhile. Family came from Wisconsin, Minnesota, NW Iowa, and South central Iowa.....They started arriving Tuesday afternoon and were all here by Wednesday morning. Wednesday was our "Christmas Day" with a big meal, pie and cake, plenty of cookies, gifts, and good conversation. We also can add in a walk by the river for Papa and a few grands, setting up a new TV by our tech grand after the oldest mechanical engineer grand helped Papa create a top for the TV stand so the new TV would fit! The gals do most of the cooking and organizing and the guys do most of the clean up and dishes. AND lets not forget there were plenty of hugs....boy do I love the hugs!
It fascinates me and makes me proud to see our grands doing so well in life. To watch them embrace each other with great love and acceptance. It blesses us to watch their relationships fine tune and grow as we welcome newbies into the family. We ache for them all when they are gone, but oh how blessed we are to have them all in our lives. Our hearts are bursting as we sit now in our quiet house, give thanks.....and hold tight to our memories. We. are. blessed.
It was a busy week preparing for the gathering, and our own Christmas. On Christmas Eve we watched Lutheran Church of Hope and another service before heading to our local church at 5:30 pm. We saved our "Christmas" meals for when family would be here, but ended our meals with homemade pies....Joel's pumpkin and mine sweet potato pie with almond flour crust. So good..
Speaking of so good, my energy has been better the last 2 1/2 weeks.....balance still wonky or more wonky....but improvements are being experienced and for that we are grateful. I'm walking indoors....Joel outside on nice brisk days.
Well, people, 2023 is coming to an end and I confess, we are ready for a fresh start....praying that 2024 is filled with more abundant life and less difficulties. Besides our own dramas, we have family and friends who are fighting cancer, reconvering from surgery, going through tests, hospitalized with heart issues, dealing with issues of body, soul, and spirit. There is no lack of suffering in our broken world. BUT there is always hope. We have seen HOPE show up in the manger, on the cross, within each of us. The HOPE that passes all understanding. We hold on to it tightly, believing God and his Word. In that we do rejoice and give thanks.
Speaking of giving thanks, we have so much we are grateful for this week...Grateful for our home being FILLED to capacity ( 25 for dinner) with our big family. Grateful for laughter, insights, our amazing family, gifts received. Grateful for texts, phone calls, prayers....Grateul for worship services. GRATEFUL for in person hugs, the sounds of laughter, the gift of love. So so grateful for all this and so much more.........\
Enjoy your weekend!
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