Christmas 2017

It has been hard to write these past few months. But today, the Christmas lasagna is in the oven and I have time to reflect. It has been a very different Christmas season this year for a variety of reasons. Different from last year for sure because I have hair and I have more energy to keep up with the activities and the plans. A year ago I was looking forward to 2017, a year of marking the end of cancer treatments and a year of healing and strength.

Somehow along the way, that got derailed. 2017 went by way too fast. And, I spent too much time focusing on the wrong things. Philippians 3:13 "...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." It was one morning that David was sharing in Genesis with the children about Lot and his wife. She turned back to look, God told her not to. She became a pillar of salt. God's Word is living and active. Thankful that the punishment for looking back is not a pillar of salt for everyone, it pierced my heart.

There has been more stress than we have had as a family for a long time but also, there has been a lot of trusting in God for things we couldn't see that had nothing to do with cancer. In fact a couple times I remember crying and telling God that I was good at being sick, trusting Him, leaning on His faithfulness for this life and whatever He had planned for the next. But what do I do with THIS?!

I would not have imagined this time last year that we would find ourselves at Thanksgiving time without a church home. To have a place to worship with the body of Christ has always been a priority in our family. David and mine growing up, and now in our own family. Trusting His leading to where He would have us be has left me a little out of sorts this year. It has also in a good way reminded me that when the ground below me is shaky, His hands are catching me, holding me, steadying me, reminding me that He is my foundation, my unshakable Rock.

Substitute teaching has taken over much of my stay-at-home-mom week. I set out each week saying I will work only three days in a classroom and two days at home and then I get a call to see if I can work and have a hard time saying no. The problem is, I have not done a very good job of delegating some of the things around the house to those who are here when I am not.

There has always been, or I have always found the time to ponder, as I have always loved the verse in the Christmas story, in Luke 2:19 "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." I love to ponder my Lord at Christmas as he condescended to the earth in the limited body of an infant. This year, I pondered a lot during the "specials" after taking the class to PE or music. It certainly was different.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...I pray that I will feel like writing again, and sharing now and then. It truly has been a whirlwind this 2017 and with the kids out of school and David off of work, I am glad that we can be together to enjoy the rest of the year!