2015 In Review

I didn't think it was that great of a year. The whole "don't let the door hit ya on the way out" thing? Yeah. That's what I was thinking.

It's funny how one 6-week period can spread it's darkness over a whole year in our memories.

But, after some pondering of this message, especially the part at the end where he says, "The Spirit can show us our weaknesses, but He is also able to show us our strengths. Sometimes we need to ask what we are doing right so that the Lord can lift and encourage us," I decided I would ask that question. What am I doing right?

As I prayed, I listened for an answer, but somehow I knew that the Lord would answer my question in His usual way of answering me. Not with whispering, but with showing. And usually the answers have the tone of "really, you needed me to tell you? Ok!"

And so it was that the next day, Jeremy stopped the boys after breakfast before they ran off to play with new Christmas gadgets. He gave them an assignment to spend some time that day thinking about this year and writing down what they remembered and loved about the year, what they accomplished. He also told them to think a bit about next year and what goals they want to set.

Then we gathered after dinner to talk about what we'd written down. As I sat and listened to the lists from all of us of the miracles and the accomplishments, the progress and the joy, a little more of the darkness that's been dissipating in the last two months drifted away.

Something else happened, too. You know that New Year's dread that's so hard to name but even harder to avoid? That "I'm doomed to fail before I even start" feeling? It lifted, too. Because as I reviewed our year and the mess of blessings looked for and miraculously found, long-held dreams that actually came true, goals I forgot we accomplished, plans I hadn't stopped to see that I had followed through on, I felt hope for the coming year take hold.

It doesn't all have to happen in January or last the whole darn year. Sometimes the best developments come in October, November and December because of a pebble you didn't realize you kicked somewhere in the darkness of the previous winter.

So we finished our discussion and I ran out the door to make it on time to an evening Zumba class and as I danced, I thought, I should really write about our family's amazing year. But it wasn't until I returned to my bedroom before bed and thanked Jeremy for initiating that Year-End Review that I realized just how clearly my prayer from the night before had been answered. I guess the Lord did want to lift and encourage me. I just had to ask.

Now, if you've got through all that and you want to know what these blessings, miracles, and goals are. Here you go. And please remember, none of this is to boast or gloat. I haven't written here about all the pain and the bitter tears. But this post, this list, is just to stop and marvel at the goodness of God.

Family Highlights:

• Completed a year-long budgeting/saving/debt repayment blitz in which we somehow paid off more than $26,000 in student loan debt (February)
• Moved from Langhorne to Morrisville into a home and neighborhood we love, shortening Jeremy's daily commute and improving the kids' school situation (July)
• Miraculously had the money to pay cash for the new (used) car that fell into our laps to replace Jeremy's dying commuting car (November)
• Ann and Mina got to go to Boise to visit family in May
• Jeremy and Charles and John got to go to California to visit family in June/July
• Got to have Grandma Nancy visit for a certain special occasion I'll mention below (July)
• Sang--all six of us--together in a little musical number at a friend's baptism (December)

One Civic replaces another

Fall is amazing out my front door

We are SO good at selfies.

Jeremy and Ann:

• Met our goal to have at least one of us attend the temple every month of the year. We even got to go together once or twice!
• Changed our diets significantly in ways we feel good about. What do we eat now? Plants! 
• Participated in a Christmas Bell Choir with friends from church 

Jeremy:

• Read and studied the whole New Testament
• Gave blood to help others (yes, he has THAT blood type)
• Auditioned for and performed several solos as part of the community choir he sings with
• Submitted materials to apply for his continuing appointment promotion at work (he should know by March 2016)

Ann:

• Wrote a bundle of poems to give my mother as a gift (then kept writing new poems)
• Helped the family with all they accomplished 

Charles:

• Made good progress on learning to play the trumpet
• Read a LOT of books (and so did everyone else)
• Made a lot of new friends and plays outside a ton since moving to our new home
• Acts as a safety at school to help the younger students 

John:

• Turned 8 in June and chose to be baptized. Grandma came for that special event in July
• Made a lot of new friends and plays outside a ton since moving to our new home
• Found a new love for the sport of football
• Chosen as a class representative for student council at his school
• Sang a solo (Donkey) in "The Friendly Beasts" musical number at our Ward Christmas party

Edmund:

E's first day of kindergarten

• Faced a lot of fears and found that he can be confident in new situations
• Made a lot of new friends and plays outside a ton since moving to our new home
• Learned to ride a bike! So fast! (Not kidding...like half an hour!)
• Started kindergarten and learned to read. No kidding.
• Sang a solo (Cow) in "The Friendly Beasts" musical number at our Ward Christmas party

Mina:

On the airplane!

• Learned to sing or showed us she could sing, not sure which
• Flew on an airplane for the first time to spend time with grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins
  
• Learned to dress herself (and how!)
• Sang some more (In the quiet misty morning)