The last couple of weeks for me have been so busy that I haven't taken the time to slow down to read any blogs or to write on mine. All of sudden, I realized that I missed it.
Christmas was different for us this year...but it was good. We are learning to embrace the changes (because they happen whether you embrace them or not) and look for the good.
Our Christmas Day was full of laughter and joy, and was quite lazy. The girls stayed in pjs as long as they could. Andy, their father, ended up bringing his presents to them, so he was with them here for awhile. On Christmas Eve, the girls surprised me in such a delightful way. Since they have been itty bitty, they have been able to unwrap one gift under the tree, and they are new pjs for Christmas. Even as old as they are now, they still look forward to that. When I gave them their packages to unwrap, they handed one to me! They had brought me a pair of new pjs...and to make it even more personal, the silky pjs look like a scrabble board with words on it. Scrabble is one of my all time favorite games. I can't even begin to tell you how touched I was that they had done that for me on Christmas Eve.
We packed the car and headed towards Texas the next day. We normally don't travel that far, but we all decided to head towards Mom and Dads for our get-together instead of my sister's house. I had a wonderful few days of family time with my parents, grandmother, my brother and sister, brother in law and sis in law, and my wonderful nieces and nephews. I wrote on Facebook one day that my "love bank was full" and that was so true. That's the best part about spending time with family.
As 2010 began to wind down, I realized how far God's healing has allowed me to journey this past year. I was totally broken just not too long ago...and wondering if I'd ever get over the intense and gut wrenching pain. Indeed, God's faithfulness did not let me down. While I still have those moments (or sometimes days) of pain....they are getting fewer and farther between. I look back over the last year and see tremendous growth and healing in my own life....and I see blessing after blessing after blessing. I have been telling folks for several days that I have seen God's handprints all over my life. I even have another blessing write about, but I'll save that one for a different day. It deserves its own space.
With the beginning of 2011, I want to make sure that I never forget the journey of 2010. I want to anticipate the newness of each day, to look for the opportunities that God puts in my pathway, to stay in the moment, and not worry to far ahead. I want to continue to grow and to continue to heal. I want to keep my love bank full and to make deposits into the love banks of others. I don't want to have taken this journey for nothing...I want to make it count.
