Dear Friends and Family,
At the close of every year I like
to look back and reflect on lessons learned and revelations discovered about
the last 12 months. 2011 turned out to be quite eventful and jam-packed full of
new discoveries and experiences. I’m happy to say that I grew both as a
Christian and as a person. My loved ones ran alongside me and did their best to
help me stay humble and happy. Aside from discovering that it takes about nine
months for a bad haircut to grow out, here some other details you might have
missed…
We kicked off the New Year with a bowl of dog food and a tragedy. Angelina discovered that dog food doesn’t go with cereal the same way that reality tv doesn’t go with the Disney channel. There are some things that humans just are not supposed to consume. Zach came to the painful awareness that nobody is immune to depression and even his peers have the power to make drastic, tragic choices when life becomes too challenging.
We kicked off the New Year with a bowl of dog food and a tragedy. Angelina discovered that dog food doesn’t go with cereal the same way that reality tv doesn’t go with the Disney channel. There are some things that humans just are not supposed to consume. Zach came to the painful awareness that nobody is immune to depression and even his peers have the power to make drastic, tragic choices when life becomes too challenging.
Spring was filled with recurring
nightmares, a lesson in forgiveness, and the stark reality that my hemlines
were causing heartburn. I discovered that hackers do exist and that online
shopping is a big no-no in our house from now on. I learned that anger cannot
be treated unless it’s cut out at the root and there is no deed so big that it
cannot be forgiven by the grace of God. Oh and here’s a friendly reminder in
case you happen to ever get in this situation. When someone asks you to lower
your hemline, they’re really not being mean. They’re simply tired of looking at
your underwear in church.
My summer depression was relatively
mild this year although I did have long stretches where I couldn’t write
anything at all. During this time I learned that contentment is a choice, there
are no coincidences, and when the bank says they’re working with you what they
really mean is that you should start packing because they’re going to take your
house. I celebrated my birthday in a new home (after only a week of searching
and packing) and discovered that despite my best efforts, God still won’t fit
into any of the pretty boxes I designed for him. He is the master of the
impossible and peace is his way of telling me that the problem has already been
solved.
Fall paved the way for new
friendships, new beginnings, and new awakenings. I celebrated my tenth wedding
anniversary without the fluffy white dress but it was a great party anyway. I
got beautiful pictures thanks to my talented new friend, Eric Leffler. As a result of
his efforts my passion for writing was reawakened. We’re still waiting to hear
back from the editors, by the way. Angelina learned where babies come from
while I became the first of my friends to reach that milestone. Although I
appreciate that I get to be the genius everyone runs to for advice now, I
totally get why mom made me wait until I was 13 to tell me the truth about
Santa. There is a limit to how much trauma a parent should be allowed to
inflict on herself.
My baby sister helped me understand
that there is a hero inside all of us and that people are responding to our
efforts to do good even if they are not saying a single word. She convinced me
to write a book but I unconvinced myself when I looked at the facts. I’m just
not ready to take that step yet but the ground work has been laid. I’m
surrounded by people who love and support me and I’m continuing to learn about
what it takes to be a great writer.
The holiday season was the most
memorable I’ve ever had. Our Thanksgiving table was accompanied by two
ex-convicts who have done hard time in prison for murder. It was such an honor
having them there and hearing about how God had changed them from the inside
out. If redemption had a face I’m pretty sure it would look like those two.
Listening to Bill talk reminded me of my own first Thanksgiving outside of my
own “prison”. Although we have nothing in common, I felt connected to him
because I know how it feels to sit among total strangers and feel more love
than you know what to do with. I wanted to bottle that moment and keep it with
me forever. (Too bad Eric wasn’t there to capture it)
For the first time in ten years we
left the snow chains in the car and stayed home for Christmas. I discovered
that I rock in the kitchen and that cooking for 12 people is easier than I
thought. My turkey is good enough to feed the Pope or even George Clooney. Just
don’t ask me to make pumpkin pie. That record is about 50/50 at the moment.
Before we close out another year,
here are some of my most recent revelations-
·
When sponsoring a woman working her steps, make
sure you’re guarded and prayed up because you will get hurt.
·
Always practice before Sunday morning. Always.
·
Nothing is more haunting than blue lights on a
track field and cancer survivors are among the bravest people in the world.
·
Do what you’re good at and do it often. Don’t
waste time on stupid stuff that doesn’t matter or won’t help change the world,
even in a small way. Life is too short to dwell on past mistakes and failures
but it gets really tedious when you’re not living up to your full potential.
·
Never cut your hair off right before summer. Just say no.
Happy New Year and God bless you abundantly in 2012! I love
you all!
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