Happy New Year!!! It's still 2024 while I type at my kitchen table but 2025 is fast approaching. It's been a full month with lots of reasons to celebrate and be grateful in addition to times with tears. It's been a relaxing few days since Christmas as at least one person in the house has had cold symptoms since Christmas. I've been quite tired and I'm currently hoping I'm not getting the cough that has been going around.
The festivities haven't ended as my eldest brother and family will arrive tomorrow for a few days. It will be great to see them.
It's a low-key New Year's Eve for us. Graham and Lily-Anna drove friends to the airport earlier this evening while the boys and I watched one of the Star Wars movies. Graham and the boys are now watching a comedian and I can hear Lily-Anna playing along to a song on the iPad using a piano app. I made us all a Wod-Fam-Choc-Sod (a.k.a. a World Famous Chocolate Soda from Adventures in Odyssey) and various treats are being eaten.
We enjoyed attending a lovely Christmas Eve service at our friends' church followed up by fun, food, and fellowship at their place. Sadly we weren't able to attend a Christmas Day service due to sickness but we enjoyed the day. Thankfully Lily-Anna has remained healthy so she was able to go to the Butterfly Conservatory with a friend on Saturday and celebrate another friend's birthday yesterday.
A wonderful man from our church passed away around the middle of the month. I cried when I found out he was dying and I cried when I found out he had passed away. He had been in our small group years ago and has been in my brother's men's group for years (along with Graham and my Dad) and my parents' went out for coffee with him often. He loved others well. I will miss him and I look forward to seeing him again. We were blessed to know him. He encouraged my kids in their music. Isaac was home from school on November 8 and we were able to have a video chat with Bob and his wonderful daughter so that Isaac could play some piano pieces for him. If I recall correctly, he enjoyed the jazz piece the most. I'm glad they were able to do that one last time. I had been looking forward to sending him a video of Isaac and Lily-Anna playing a duet together of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.
Graham and the kids gave me a puzzle of Peanuts (the Charlie Brown comic strip) for Christmas. It first made me think of Josiah as there was a Snoopy cup in the toy room at Ronald McDonald House that Isaac loved when we stayed there. Then I remembered that Bob (the wonderful man from church) once gave the kids the book A Charlie Brown Christmas. I think Graham said he didn't think of either of those things ... but God knew and it was extra special. I was thankful to have help putting it together this past week.
I need to make two types of chili and some cookies tomorrow so I'll say goodnight so I can hang out with my family before midnight strikes and then my bed beckons.
I was able to keep up with my gratitude journal this past year, writing down three blessings each evening. I'm looking forward to starting my new gratitude journal and devotional tomorrow.
I'm thankful to God for bringing us to 2025 and I pray that this will be a year of spiritual growth for me and my family - growing closer to Jesus and becoming more like Him and bringing Him glory.
Blessings,
Elizabeth
Psalm 92:1-2
It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
