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| A picture of this beautiful church taken this past summer |
In the early morning hours, words started swirling about to
write a Christmas letter. As I crept
down the stairs the house is quiet, a good time to reflect on this past year. With a freshly brewed cup of coffee, a cozy spot by the fire, I wish each and every
one of you a very blessed Christmas.
If you have ever watched the movie “The Way” (which I recommend
wholeheartedly) it’s about a man walking a path towards a very specific journey's
end. And I realized that everyone’s life
is a lot like that movie. In that each of
us is walking on their own path with the end goal to a specific destination. We walk along with others, some for a time,
sometimes alone. The people we meet
along the way help shape us in ways that teach us lessons about life, love and
hope. Sometimes the lessons are brutal
and harsh and sometimes they are pure beauty. For me, it’s fair to say that overall,
the most significant experiences were the hard ones, but that they resulted in
learning about faith, hope and love. I
don’t know about you, but my pathway on my personal journey has been filled
with many people, many lessons to be learned (usually the hard way), but
nonetheless, each has had an impact on me that helped shape who I am and where
I am going. My end goal is eternal life
with God. I am filled with the knowledge that our God is a great one. This year for the first time, I’ve been reading
a chapter a day in the book of Luke. As I
go about my days in this Advent season, it’s so easy to get side-tracked by all
the hustle and bustle and forget the “Reason for the Season” the birth of Jesus. Maybe you are like me getting so busy that all I see are the "to do lists"....and then in the quiet
hours of early dawn, I realize what a magnificent gift has been bestowed to each
and every one of us. All we have to do
is accept that gift of God’s love. It’s free.
He shows up for us. Each day is a
new one to get up and try our humanly best to live it in ways that honor our
Savior.
On a personal note, this year has been filled with so many blessings. Rod & I did a commitment ceremony with
his good friend and pastor performing the ceremony and attended by our immediate
family. For us it represents our
commitment to each other before God.
This past year has been filled with
many wonderful family gatherings and adventures, some close to home and some afar. And regardless of where we were location
wise, it was all about being connected to each other. We laughed, ate, drank
and yes sometimes cried together - bonds formed of what makes up a family. Is our life perfect? No, but each day we get
to try to be the best we can… for me that is where “grace” is either given or
received when I stumble and falter.
I find as the years go by, filling
my days with quality people that include family and friends, is where a person
sees true beauty in life. We have also found a wonderful church and are forming
a lovely church family there. Words sometimes
fail to convey the beauty of connectedness. But it’s real and I can say both Rod & I
feel it.
And with that, I wish for each and
every one of you that as you walk down the path of your personal journey, that
you find those good people who make your life beautiful, the ones who help hold
you up when life knocks you down. And I hope you will take a moment to reflect
on all the blessings in your life and give credit to God. My hope is that as
you walk on this road that we call life, that one of your goals is to ask God
to be your walking partner as we go up & down the hills towards our final
journey’s end.
Merry Christmas,
Gayle
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| Our family....not a blended family... A BLESSED FAMILY |
