December, 2011
Christmas greetings to our dear family and friends!
We do hope and pray that this newsletter finds you and yours doing well and we do also sincerely hope that, as this year draws to a close, you will be able to look back and see that in one way or another, through whatever circumstances you have found yourself in, God is at work in you, refining you and working out His plan as He changes you for the better.
This has been a wonderful year for us. We have had much to rejoice in and in many
ways. We have each other and we have our health. We still rejoice that God has
placed us in such a beautiful environment! It’s amazing still to see the beautiful mountains out of my back window, and the elements surrounding them at practically any given time speak to my heart the many lessons God is teaching me.
As winter fast approaches, it is definitely Christmas time here. My mountains are wearing their snow caps today. It’s been cold; the kind of cold that hits bone. As I type this, I have just had my hands around a steaming hot cup of tea and it felt so
good! But, with the cold comes a special beauty and peace, and thus, I welcome it. And, despite the season, I still have my few little pumpkins in the front planter. I
keep waiting for a day of good weather when the kids are here so we can roll them down the hill into the hayfield. However…like all good intentions I mean to remember but don’t write down; it’s here one moment and gone the next!
So, let’s see; where to begin…
We’ve enjoyed family this year quite a bit. I’ll tell you, being a Grandma is one of my greatest earthly joys! And, we have so enjoyed the Grandkiddlins! We have had a few fun trips together. The first one of the year was to Washington DC where Michael and Jon went to a dental conference, and Kara, kids and I walked around DC. Asher, who still loves all things space, was so thrilled to go to the Air and Space Museum, and I think Sadie loved just about everywhere we went. We went to the National Aquarium, the Chinatown area and had lots of fun.
This summer, we went back to Hilton Head and had another really fun time. It was just our two families this year; Scott and Tim weren’t able to come and Kara’s parents had gone the week before. We stayed in a lovely home with a pool and private walk down to the beach. It was fun and rewarding to see Asher overcome his fear of the ocean and venture out more independently (always with us, of course) and Sadie turned into the starfish rescue princess. Every starfish she saw still somewhat alive was carefully picked up and gently placed back into the water. And, of course, there were walks on the beach, wonderful meals and just some nice time of
relaxing.
We didn’t go to the annual Dental convention in Atlanta all together this year because Asher started first grade, and we now have to be a bit more serious about school. And, our travel plans kept us stateside, although Michael and I hope to go overseas again next year.
We had the joy of watching many of the kids’ activities. Asher played soccer again this year and we saw a lot of improvement. Every year he gets a bit more focused and his skills grow. Sadie played, too, and also began ballet lessons, and it’s fun to watch her do both. She just loves dressing up like a ballerina and looks just so cute! She’s naturally athletic. As a matter of fact, she’s like Jon in many
ways. Kara calls her a ‘little Jon’ and she’s right.
Another fun trip we took was just a couple of weeks ago when Asher was selected along with 5 other kids from his class to go to Nashville to make a presentation on how to use technology in the classroom at the Tennessee State Teacher’s technology conference. That was a blast and we were so proud of him. All the kids did a great job.
Of course, we can’t leave out one of our most important pieces of Grandchild news: our family was thrilled to welcome new Granddaughter, Elsie Rose, on October 19. What a darling she is and we are all rejoicing that she is happy and healthy. The pregnancy got off to bit of a rocky start, but, thankfully, God took care of all of that and Kara did really well.
Jon and Kara are happily moving along in life. Jon stays busy being a Dad and working, and is still leading worship at church and working with the youth praise band. He’s doing a great job and the church is so grateful and my heart is so blessed to see him serving the Lord. He still does a lot of hiking and loves to explore the mountains around us. Kara is busy with the kids and still finds some time to sew. Now that Elsie is here her time is pretty filled.
Tim is still in a band and is planning to start school again next year. We are very happy to hear that. He still talks about possibly opening up a restaurant some day, so, time will tell what he decides to do. He has a very nice girlfriend, Rachel, and lives in a house he really likes not too far from us.
Michael still works hard, but, tries to take time off to hike and play his guitar, and work outside. He longs to go back to Mexico and do missions work and I do hope he will do that again in the next few years. He has been involved on a committee reviewing the possibility of opening up a dental school at the University just north of us and that has been interesting for him.
My year has been full. Once Elsie arrived, Kara, like all Mom's of new babies, was more limited in what she could do, so I have had the blessing of helping out with more of the kids’ activities. I’ve gone on field trips with Asher, to ballet lessons with Sadie and soccer with both of them. I’ve been to lunches, Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas programs and taken them to visit a friend’s farm, and have loved every minute of it. I’ve also enjoyed their overnight stays. We do lots of fun things. A new experience for me as a Grandma has been to help out in Asher’s classroom a couple of hours a week working with the kids on technology and that has sure been fun.
This year I have also had the privilege of teaching a Precept Ministries Sunday School class at church; their first. Our first study was on Spiritual Gifts and with the diverse backgrounds in our class we had some interesting discussions! We are now working our way through Philippians and it is so rewarding to see the students catch on to the inductive method of Bible Study which opens so many doors to them in their understanding of God’s Word. Another church ministry I have become involved in is the jail ministry and that has been an incredible experience.
On the home front, I did a little gardening this year, but, we had awfully dry conditions, so, the garden didn’t do as well as in past years. We did get a good first crop of asparagus and are looking forward to more. I also found some time to sew, but, not as much as I would have liked. I am still involved in the office, and am blessed to help Michael, but, must admit, am looking forward to retiring some
day to get to all those sewing and quilting projects I’d like to do!
I had a funny conversation with Sadie the other day. We were talking about the end of the year almost here, and, at 4 years old, she said “Grandma, I just don’t know where the year has gone!”, and then we laughed together. It was hard for me to imagine how that looks to a 4-year-old. But, I do know how it looks to me and she’s right! It has gone by quickly, once again, but, I can truthfully say that I have grown. Lately, I’ve been on a ‘journey to health’ and through that process, God has been teaching me many things about sacrifice and surrender. Those lessons are
not always easy. But, as I’ve been reading and re-reading Philippians, I am reminded of the constancy of Paul’s faith. I have asked myself if I, like
Paul, can reach the place where I can count all those earthly, worldly things I’ve
been or done or held onto as rubbish for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus
Christ (Philippians 3:7), and, like Paul, learn to be content despite my
circumstances. (Philippians 4:10) And, where did Paul get his example? From Jesus, Himself, who, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8).
Oh, what humility there was in that sacrificial act! What obedience! I never, never can think just of the birth of Jesus. My heart; my will; my soul; every part of my being can never stop to see the shadow of the cross over the manger, because there it looms! Would you; would I; could we go willingly to die for the sake of the
world? The answer is no. And, God knew that and made provision for us not to die for the world’s sake, but, for our own as we become crucified to our flesh and sin; buried with Him and rise into His resurrection; into newness of life. Do we stop to consider the awesomeness of that? Or, has it become routine? WE MUST NOT LET IT BE
SO!!! The world needs for us not to let it be so. We cannot settle into the easy
chair of complacency, taking such a great grace-gift for granted. That is my goal for the New Year; it is my goal now as well.
We can never be Jesus. We can never be perfect. God didn’t intend for us to be either. However, we can strive, again like Paul, to recognize that we are not perfect, but that we are pressing on for the upward call of the prize in Christ Jesus. That is why we are celebrating what we are celebrating, and that is what we must do. May 2012 find us doing both with all our hearts, minds and soul!
And you, dears, are in our hearts as well; ever near, ever dear.
Wishing you and
yours a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year,
Michael & Jan
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