TIDINGS OF COMFORT & JOY!

My husband, Joe, and I have recently received several New Years cards in the mail from friends near and far. They've helped me realize that there are others like me who are still wrapping up Christmas, "UnDecking the Halls", and sweeping up tinsel in mid-January!

As always, these letters have told our friends' many stories... a new baby, a job change, a wedding, a family vacation, graduations, goals achieved, many ordinary moments, and extraordinary milestones. And sometimes the most honest of these letters have also brought news of difficult life changes and personal losses. Truly, for each of us, every new year holds something new...

And so, as I pack up the manger scene and take down the Christmas wreath, I think about how comforting it is to know that, into our everyday lives, Jesus was born. He is our Emmanuel ~ God With Us. He invites us to walk with Him into each new day.


May your New Year be filled with the comfort and joy of walking with Jesus each day!


From my sketchbook ~ Prismacolor pencil & micron pen on graph paper

HOME AGAIN...

Over the past month, I have taken two very different trips.

The first was to Rockbridge, a Young Life camp hidden in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Joe and I were privileged to stay in the guest lodge, which perches on the side of a mountain. From the front porch, I had a birdseye view of the camp activity below; and to the East, I could see mountain after mountain after mountain...

While my husband worked, I was free to use the time as I pleased. I decided to make this my first-ever Artist's Retreat. I walked & read & prayed & journaled & sketched & drew & "colored." I caught up with old friends over coffee and meals. I enjoyed meeting some special new friends. I relaxed & went to bed early. At the end of the week, I felt rested & re-energized.

The second trip was to Chicago, where our oldest son, Ben, lives & works. We stayed in Ben's apartment on the 40th floor of a highrise that overlooks the Canals and Downtown. As far as I could see in every direction there were buildings & busy streets -- cars, taxis, trains, bikes, & people bustling from place to place.

We took the time to be tourists & visited the Sears Tower & Millenium Park. We visited a fascinating Museum of Photography. We walked along Lake Shore Drive and watched the bikers, the boaters, and the beachgoers. We sampled different kinds of cuisine in our own "Taste of Chicago." We strolled along the Magnificent Mile and peeked in all the shop windows. We hung-out together & just enjoyed being family.

To be honest, I came away from Chicago feeling happy, but ooooh soooo tired! As an introvert, it's hard for me to keep such a fast pace. I need some quiet places in my days to process and unwind.

We are back at home again now. The mountains of laundry have been done. The grass has been mowed. The groceries have been bought. And we are almost caught up on our sleep...

What a blessing it is to go new places and to see new things, to live life in out-of-the-ordinary ways! And what a blessing, too, to come home again!!