Welcome, 2024!

The new calendars I just hung up make way for a new beginning. I’m not one for new year’s resolutions, but I do love a good reason to look back while dreaming of what might lie ahead. Right now, my attempt at summarizing my "look back" has been (at least temporarily) thwarted. I enjoy creating a retrospective video at the end of each year. I spent hours putting together pictures of 2023, month by month. After I finished adding all the pictures and short videos, I went back into the app to add text and music behind the visuals. The app crashes pretty much every time I click on my draft, and I cannot finish my video at this time. I am hoping for customer assistance at some point, but so far I have only had customer frustration. 

Nothing impairs my ability to write about the year gone by, so I will start with this old-fashioned way of looking back. At this point last year, I was looking six months ahead to our big trip to Prince Edward Island. It was always on my mind in some way, as I wondered if we could actually pull off getting almost the whole family to PEI with us. It did happen, and it met and exceeded my expectations. Now it is six months in the rear-view mirror. Isn’t it funny how quickly that happens? That’s kind of how I feel about the reason for the trip as well, which was R.J.’s and my 40^th anniversary. How did 40 YEARS pass by so quickly?

Crossing the bridge into PEI

All of us together on PEI

Image by Jen Elder of Midwest Lifeshots Photography - Our family in our place on PEI

For Ever and For Always, No Matter What - 40 Years Strong!

2023 held more than just the three-week journey to and from Prince Edward Island. There were other events equally worthy of note. Our firstborn turned 35 and our “baby” turned 30 (with the middles at 33 and 32). Our grandchildren turned 5 and 2. R.J. and I stayed the same ages as last year. Ha! If only. He’s 61 now while I am 64. (As you might notice, that means a biggie is coming up for me next fall.) I completed my 15^th year at Kingdom Kids while R.J. completed his 25^th year working at IBM proper (and add another 11 for his work as a contractor for IBM). I went to a conference with my work teammates last spring, where I learned a lot and made some great memories, too. Most days I really love my job. I remembered to be thankful for 30 years in our current church building. Even though we finished our State Parks challenge last year, we still found time to hike at a couple state parks. I had foot surgery in late summer and healed nicely from that, though the scar on the bottom of my foot is still quite a prominent ridge. I got to spend a lot of time with family, which is a particular joy of mine. I messed up and didn’t follow through on lots of great ideas I had. I have a back porch filled with a big mess that I really, truly intended to manage better. There’s even a queen mattress out there if anyone needs one. I put up my fall decorations in November, meaning I had less than a month to enjoy them, and I love my fall decorations. I did get our family pictures from PEI printed and hung on the wall, but only because R.J. actually hung them for me. I completed a Shutterfly book about our trip to PEI that I’m really proud of. We had to replace our less-than-five-year-old refrigerator, which stopped working right as we got home from PEI. I really want a new stove, but this one that we got with the house is FINE (Frustrating & Infuriating No-frills Electric). I really want a vehicle with under 100,000 miles and that doesn’t guzzle oil, but I am learning to be patient. I’m grateful for our working stove and car. Several times this past year, I forgot to turn off the lights on our car and completely drained the battery, which left me feeling inept (and in need of assistance). I wish our daughter’s cat wasn’t sick. I wish God would heal mental health struggles. I am grateful for the blessing of having 68 of us together as we celebrated the Arnold family Christmas (and grateful for a family that let me take the picture to prove it). I wish I hadn’t slipped on the ice yesterday, leaving me very aware of every one of my untoned muscles; however, I’m grateful for Gramma Traff’s voice in my head every time I walk on the ice, saying “Take small steps and lean forward, so you don’t fall on your head.” I am grateful that my health continues to support platelets donations (139 donations and going strong). I am grateful that we have enough, and I am trying desperately not to want MORE – because I definitely have an abundance of the really important stuff. 

Our photo wall

Me and the grands

Em, Eric, & Ada

Arnold family Christmas

This year held sorrow as well, as we said a final goodbye to some precious people: Susan Knutson, Tom Kunz, Janice Hofer, and Ruth Deckert. Some of those deaths were unexpected and knocked us off our feet; others were expected and did the same. Death is separation, and there is no easy path through that separation. Heaven is our blessed assurance in the midst of our grief.

Looking forward, I expect 2024 to contain this same mix of joy and sorrow, frustration and elation. We won’t have a huge family trip to an exotic place, but we will join my extended family on our annual Arnold family vacation. R.J. and I hope to take a trip to Alabama this spring to see some Traffs. We hope to take a trip to the North Shore this fall to celebrate my 65^th birthday. We hope to keep healthy and keep working, keep enjoying all the many gifts of friends and family that we have been given. (I accept that most of that is not really under my control.) I want to continue leaning into God’s plan for me for the year to come. God’s plan may yet hold an adventure this year, but that is a story for a future blog. I want to listen more, to give more, and to share love and kindness at every opportunity in this mixed-up world we live in. I don’t want to just be “okay” with life; instead, I want to cherish it. 

“May I live this next year with my eyes on Jesus and my hands open to receive what He has for me while keeping a light grip on the things of this world.” That’s my prayer, but I know I’ll make lots of mistakes along the way. I hope to travel with you on the journey of this coming year. May we help each other when we fall and celebrate each other when we succeed.

Thank you for this new beginning, Lord! Welcome, 2024!

R.J. and me, on New Year's Eve - our last picture of 2023!