2018: A Year In Review

...Just a few days late.

     Wow.  When I saw how many posts I was able to get written in 2018, let's just say it wasn't admirable.  Three.  However, I do have a good reason, or two. :-)

     Oh, the blessings of motherhood!  It's quite the mixture, though.  On the one hand, I constantly find myself in awe that my heart can feel so full of love, gratitude, and admiration--to the point of bursting; yet, I am just as full with feelings of ineptitude and exhaustion.  

     Being a wife and mother, is not for the faint of heart!  You come face-to-face with the realization of just how weak you really are, and how desperately dependent you are upon the Lord.  Which, I believe, is one of the very evident lessons He seeks to teach through parenthood.  I guess having had over a decade of childlessness tends to make one think they have it all together, only to be slapped back into reality. 

     I wouldn't change a thing, though!  As weary as I may be by the time my head hits the pillow, (even though my mind will still be racing through many a thought!), my heart seems to only grow in love and appreciation for my family.  Getting to fulfill my heart's desires is truly a labor of love.

     Labor of love.  That is how I see this past year.  Though I was greatly intimidated by the fact that early on in the year we would be adding a new member to our home, we also saw 2018 roll over into 2019 rather seamlessly.  Together, we are making our family function well, by the grace of God!

     His grace is exactly what is seeing us through each moment.  While I was being frantic, trying to figure out how to pull off chasing after a toddler while tending to a newborn, as well as ministering to my husband, (whilst living in a place far removed from any family)...God's grace is seeing me through every bit of it.  Not surprisingly, being a recipient of His grace tends to overflow into me being more gracious with others.  

     One incredible blessing that just keeps blossoming, is my relationship with my husband.  This past year, I have experienced him minister to us in ways I never expected.  Though I have seen him wearied by the burdens he carries, I have also seen him gladly step up to the plate to care for us.  He is actively being a servant to us.

So, what else has this year given me?

     An endless supply of dirty diapers and training pants; hidden, fouled drinks surprising me on a regular basis; tantrums at the most inopportune times; impatience by one, both, or all; toys strewn about as if the storm occurred inside, rather than its natural habitat outside; teething baby; jealous toddler; frustrated parents; dog stealing food off the table; pens in the printer (because everyone knows that you need ink to print...); toddler circumventing the locked phone screen to emergency call his grandpa, on a regular basis...You know, the usual. :-)

     Oh, but there's more!  There are the unsolicited baby kisses; the endless supply of "sugar" from my baby boy; the hugs that melt your heart; the cuddles in a very crowded bed; the indescribable feeling you get when your son asks you to sing with him some of your favorite songs...or, when he starts saying "I love you," without prompting...Or, says you're his "sweetheart"...Or, when you watch your husband tote around both children, because they both want their daddy...Or, when you watch your daughter prefer her daddy, and you know they are going to have a safe, happy, special relationship...Or, when you watch your children happily play together...Or, listening to your toddler pray to Jesus, because it's his desire to do so...Oh, the blessings that multiply!

     Throw in a quick trip to our former home in the Pacific Northwest, getting to visit loved ones; as well as a quick visit from loved ones from the Midwest, and we have had quite the year!  Though we aren't adventure seekers, nor are we pursuing trouble, sometimes trouble and adventures come our way.  Thankfully, we have learned to quickly seek the Lord in troublous times, and to ride out the adventures.  It doesn't always mean that the trouble disappears, or that we are thrilled about the adventure, but He guide us through it all.  I have never, never known Him to do us wrong.

     Although we don't know what this year has before us, we do know the One who is beyond the realm of time, and can safely guide us through it, as we seek Him.  If the first few days of this new year is any indication, coupled with lessons from the past, I anticipate another year leaning upon Him.  Honestly, I feel much more confident in Him as time progresses, and less confident in myself and others.  So, as long as we stay close to Him, it will be good. :-) 

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

1 Peter 5:7