2013

 Yikes...where did 2012 go? It was a year full of...well, stuff. There were a lot of downs but also a lot of ups. The year started out like any other. Full of resolutions and dreams for what the year held. Unfortunately with the melanoma diagnoses, everything came to a stop. It was a rough summer but we got thru. A new house was waiting for us on the other side of my surgery so we had something grand to look forward to. We love our new location and the girls are in heaven by all the open space. We've christened it with a sleep over, plenty of brush pile fires, and a big trampoline in the yard. We are truly blessed. This past Christmas was one to remember in our brand new house.

Even though with the sparkle of a brand new house, it took a race to get me back up on my feet. I was in depression after surgery and didn't know how to pull myself out. It was the words a friend spoke that got me up and moving. She asked me if I wanted to run a 5K. My initial thought was, "Heck, no" but something inside me made me sign on the line to commit. After weeks of training and encouragement from my friends I finally did it. November 18 was a day that I'll never forget. My family was there to cheer me on and I did it...I couldn't rely on anyone to get me thru other than God. Like 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, I ran in a way to get the prize and that I did. At the end of the race was a big cup of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, it was crappy but I finally got there. The rest of the year was filled with the excitement of Christmas.

Now that 2013 is here, I've done a lot of reflection and I'm so ready for a new beginning. My aunt got me a daily calendar that has a scripture every day listed from the book of Psalms. The one on January 2 keeps coming back to me so I did some digging and found a version that I can relate to. In the NIV version of Psalms 25:21 is says "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee." I love those words - integrity and uprightness. When I looked at the Message translation it resonated within my soul and I knew that it was the Holy Spirit stirring things within me. It says, "Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product." After last year, I feel, and at times still feel broken. Like I'm a puzzle that still needs put together. It's my prayer that God would use all of skills to put me together this year because I know at the end, there's a glorious picture that awaits me. Ever see a picture in passing that just catches your eye? You can't think of anything but the details in that picture? I want to do that with the pieces that he's putting together. I want to be so in awe of what is looking back at me. Here's to a great 2013!