A New Year
The thing about a new year is that not only is it a chance to start afresh, it is also a reason to look back. Here are a few of my thoughts about the year gone by.
1. I lost my good friend Janel last March. Janel was one of a kind, and her celebration service was an amazing testimony to the power of God in her life. I miss her so much. My lesson for looking forward is to try to radiate God's love something close to the way Janel did.
3. We had two graduations this year. Joe graduated from RCTC with a degree in Music Technology. David graduated from Century High School, thus ending our 20-year involvement in Rochester Public Schools. I still remember Emily's first day of kindergarten clearly, back when I was expecting David. Ahh, time truly does fly. (Notice I did not say time "literally" flies, David.) I have loved my hands-on job of mothering these wonderful people. I will always be Mom, but I am praying that God directs me in the way to best support my young adults.
4. This was one of the longest, most luxuriously-paced summers of my life. I like to attribute that feeling of a slow, relaxed pace to the contrast this past summer was from the one before it (when I helped plan a 50th anniversary celebration for my in-laws just days before leaving on a three-week trip to Cambodia). Whatever the reason, I fully enjoyed each day and poured a lot of time into getting things ready for the coming school year. What a blessing my summer was! I know I need to be more intentional about my use of time, not wasting any days I have here, remembering to savor life in the process.
5. We sent David to Winona State University this past fall. It was hard to say goodbye, on the one hand; however, I have watched him grow and mature so much in the past year. I knew he was ready to be on his own, and it has been fun to watch him soar. Lord, let me know the right balance of offering help and stepping back as David moves through this freshman year of college.
6. This past fall, with the nest emptying, I took on more hours/classes at Kingdom Kids Preschool. What a blessing it is to be a part of the lives of so many children and their families! Each and every one of those children are precious to me. I pray for them, try to encourage their God-given talents, and just plain love them. Give me eyes to see what each child needs, not just academically but also spiritually. Let me live the love of Christ for them in our classroom. Keep me attentive, even with three classes of students and 53 sets of parents.
7. It was another year of enjoying photography for me. It is hard for me to explain just how integral a part of me taking pictures really is. It helps me see God in the world around us. I am in awe of His creative nature, from how He structures the intricate design of a snowflake, to how the aerodynamics of a bee are altered when that bee is completely covered with pollen, to oh-so-many other observations I make with a camera as my tool. Plus I have some really fun times, too, like when I got to take a picture of a crop-dusting helicopter, in front of a rainbow. Now THAT was a fun sentence to say and to write! Let me never lose the intimacy with God that I feel when I take pictures, and help me to give God the creative credit He deserves at all times.
8. Christmas break has been wonderful, as I have enjoyed having my college kids home again. It's a reminder of how much fun next summer is going to be - and how active! Let me cherish each moment my children are under my roof without keeping them back from the next step. I know this is a recurring prayer - I need to repeat it over and over to make sure I do it!
This is probably my longest ever blog without any pictures. That's because I made a retrospective video of the year. Here it is! Just to make it extra-sentimental, I extracted the audio from some videos I had made over the years of David playing piano. That audio is the backdrop for my pictures.
OK now, I've taken up enough of your time. Go enjoy the day, and have a happy new year!
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