For the end
As surreal as it is to know that the year 2015 will begin in a few hours, it is just as surreal to look back and realize how very quickly 2014 passed us by. It's a blur. Maybe because there weren't many enormous milestones for the four of us. An abundance of happy memories, hard work to overcome challenges, the ever-present parenting frustrations, a couple of heart-wrenching losses, just...life.
For the sake of comparison, I am looking back at the wrap-up I wrote for 2013. As far as the boys go, hardly anything has changed. Oh, they've grown, mostly in the height department. And I know they have learned so much through the year and are more mature, though you couldn't tell it when they are together. The fighting is brutal. Each boy is so very, very pleasant when his brother is not around. They are nightmarish together. Ugh.
But we'll just have to see what the next year brings. For one thing, it will bring Aden into Kindergarten. I can't really handle that right now. It will also lead us into faceoffs with Trey, for sure. We have informed him that we can no longer make exceptions to his participation in events because of his fears. Time to conquer them.
I love my boys and am so thankful for another year with them. And a relatively uneventful year, at that. They are safe, healthy, and blessed from every angle. Praise the Lord.
My word for 2014 was choose. Who knows if that really happened. Most days feel like a failure no matter what my word is.
Though I'll say I feel a lot more grown up than I did last year at this time.
Could be the losses of my Pawpaw Melvin and Meemaw Margaret, a fresh view of the pain this life has to offer and a couple more reasons for me to look forward to Heaven.
Could be my own fears and what-ifs that Satan attacks me with every day. Worries that I thought had been overcome years ago, now back to haunt me and drive me to my knees. A deep realization of how much responsibility I have in these boys.
I shot a gun this year. First time ever. It terrified me, and I did not appreciate it at all. Power like that should not exist. Still a good thing to know, I guess.
Loving my house more right now than I ever have before. We spent our tax return and our entire spring break overhauling a few rooms, and now it looks like adults might actually live here along with the children. It takes all of my energy to try and keep it straight and decent-looking every day, which I use as an excuse for hardly ever truly cleaning it. Can't let that bother me. There will come a day when I have all too much time to clean.
Tried at least seven new recipes this year, all of them fabulous. Miss Kay's swiss steak, corn chowder, yeast rolls, and chocolate chip cookies; Pioneer Woman's pulled pork; Rachael Ray's smoked sausage alfredo; and oreo fudge from the Buns in my Oven blog. That was one of my goals, to try as many new recipes as the budget would allow.
The rest of my 2014 goals, filling at least a half-page, would depend on the day. We recycled for a while. I started packing a Wednesday-afternoon dinner for myself to eat on the road from work to church, eliminating the cost and calories of a fast food meal. Have been trying to get in bed earlier. Trey is (slowly) learning piano. Aden is (finally) out of pull-ups. I'm a better driver. And I have done slightly better on the blog than last year.
And then there are those other things from the list, the dismal failures. You know, like not yelling at the kids, not spending as much money, not being fat as a cow - er, getting healthier. Things I knew wouldn't bear fruit when I wrote them down. They'll be on the 2015 list too. Maybe one day I'll get it all figured out. Til then, humility is not hard to come by. A quick glance at the list (or in the mirror) takes care of that quickly.
Anyhow, with crisp new calendars hung around our home, I offer thanks for the relative normalcy of life. And for the completely undeniable presence of God with us in this past year. He has provided for us and carried us, grown us and challenged us, loved us and blessed us. God has been faithful; He will be again. There is perspective in being a grownup, to truly realize what has been done for us, and to know that anything could change in the blink of an eye. We trust our Lord and look forward to walking with Him through another year.
the sun comes up
it's a new day dawning
time to sing Your song again
whatever may pass
and whatever lies before me
let me be singing
when the evening comes
bless the Lord oh my soul
oh my soul
worship His holy name
sing like never before
oh my soul
worship His holy name
For the sake of comparison, I am looking back at the wrap-up I wrote for 2013. As far as the boys go, hardly anything has changed. Oh, they've grown, mostly in the height department. And I know they have learned so much through the year and are more mature, though you couldn't tell it when they are together. The fighting is brutal. Each boy is so very, very pleasant when his brother is not around. They are nightmarish together. Ugh.
But we'll just have to see what the next year brings. For one thing, it will bring Aden into Kindergarten. I can't really handle that right now. It will also lead us into faceoffs with Trey, for sure. We have informed him that we can no longer make exceptions to his participation in events because of his fears. Time to conquer them.
I love my boys and am so thankful for another year with them. And a relatively uneventful year, at that. They are safe, healthy, and blessed from every angle. Praise the Lord.
My word for 2014 was choose. Who knows if that really happened. Most days feel like a failure no matter what my word is.
Though I'll say I feel a lot more grown up than I did last year at this time.
Could be the losses of my Pawpaw Melvin and Meemaw Margaret, a fresh view of the pain this life has to offer and a couple more reasons for me to look forward to Heaven.
Could be my own fears and what-ifs that Satan attacks me with every day. Worries that I thought had been overcome years ago, now back to haunt me and drive me to my knees. A deep realization of how much responsibility I have in these boys.
I shot a gun this year. First time ever. It terrified me, and I did not appreciate it at all. Power like that should not exist. Still a good thing to know, I guess.
Loving my house more right now than I ever have before. We spent our tax return and our entire spring break overhauling a few rooms, and now it looks like adults might actually live here along with the children. It takes all of my energy to try and keep it straight and decent-looking every day, which I use as an excuse for hardly ever truly cleaning it. Can't let that bother me. There will come a day when I have all too much time to clean.
Tried at least seven new recipes this year, all of them fabulous. Miss Kay's swiss steak, corn chowder, yeast rolls, and chocolate chip cookies; Pioneer Woman's pulled pork; Rachael Ray's smoked sausage alfredo; and oreo fudge from the Buns in my Oven blog. That was one of my goals, to try as many new recipes as the budget would allow.
The rest of my 2014 goals, filling at least a half-page, would depend on the day. We recycled for a while. I started packing a Wednesday-afternoon dinner for myself to eat on the road from work to church, eliminating the cost and calories of a fast food meal. Have been trying to get in bed earlier. Trey is (slowly) learning piano. Aden is (finally) out of pull-ups. I'm a better driver. And I have done slightly better on the blog than last year.
And then there are those other things from the list, the dismal failures. You know, like not yelling at the kids, not spending as much money, not being fat as a cow - er, getting healthier. Things I knew wouldn't bear fruit when I wrote them down. They'll be on the 2015 list too. Maybe one day I'll get it all figured out. Til then, humility is not hard to come by. A quick glance at the list (or in the mirror) takes care of that quickly.
Anyhow, with crisp new calendars hung around our home, I offer thanks for the relative normalcy of life. And for the completely undeniable presence of God with us in this past year. He has provided for us and carried us, grown us and challenged us, loved us and blessed us. God has been faithful; He will be again. There is perspective in being a grownup, to truly realize what has been done for us, and to know that anything could change in the blink of an eye. We trust our Lord and look forward to walking with Him through another year.
it's a new day dawning
time to sing Your song again
whatever may pass
and whatever lies before me
let me be singing
when the evening comes
bless the Lord oh my soul
oh my soul
worship His holy name
sing like never before
oh my soul
worship His holy name
Comments