I haven't done a Christmas letter this year. I always do one! But this has been a busy year, and I wasn't sure what to write. I traveled this year. For me, 5 trips to the US and 2 to Europe is a LOT of travel. There was a busyness that was sometimes hard to deal with. Four of those trips were for my work, 1 was for a week of volunteering with Mennonite Disaster Service, 1 was my husband's convention, and the other was visiting family.
That list doesn't include trips to Manitoba to visit family, a trip to BC (ditto), and many trips to Edmonton and Lethbridge for work.
A busy year. But a very fulfilling one. I love my job. I love my family. And I have the best husband in the world (for me, that is.)
Sounds "Pollyanna-ish" I know. But it's true.
We have our issues, but I think we've learned to deal with them.
Not everyone around us is perfect yet, but we're working on that. Just kidding - I think God is working on us through them. I like to believe that when the Lord allows me to deal with tough situations, it is to make me grow. And I want to do that with a thankful heart. I don't always deal well with these situations. But I hope I'm learning. And I pray that I will continually do better in my quest to become more like Christ.
Thankfulness is something I learned at my mother's knee (as she did from her mother, I believe). It is something that, when I practice it, makes the world a much better place. When I enter a mall with a smile in my heart and it shows through, it is amazing how friendly clerks become. Even Christmas shopping can be fun.
So we are planning to have a wonderful Christmas - not because we're getting all the presents we want... or maybe we are. Our kids will all be here and we'll be together. Who could want more than that.
Well, maybe I can think of 1 thing... a grandchild, possibly?? Sigh... One day! (If my kids ever read this, they know I'm kidding. I promised them I'd be willing to wait until THEY are ready!)
