Reflections

As I end one year and welcome another, I like to take some time to reflect on the year gone by.  We cannot go back and change the past, but our past can teach and inform our future.  There have been a lot of changes for our family this year, but God has been teaching us through it.  We started 2021 with the loss of friends and family members (about once a week for about six weeks) and the changing of churches.  It was a time of mourning, but also one of expectation.  We mourn the loss of those who have gone to heaven before us as we wait in expectation for when God's glory is revealed.  We are also excited to be a part of a new church family which is more similar to our views on theology and doctrine.  

Elijah turned one year old last January.  He spent his first birthday like most of his first year...in quarantine.  While we were all well, a positive test kept us all at home.  However, over the summer, he was able to meet a lot of his "Yankee" family, including his great grandmother, when we went to Buffalo, my hometown.  He has been learning more and more words that are becoming clearer each day.  He is running about as fast as lighting and is solving problems we didn't even know existed.  He is a young boy through and through and never stops going.  We wouldn't have him any other way.  In November, when we joined our church, Elijah was baptized as a covenant child, and it is our joy that he is welcomed and treated with love by our church family.  

Abigail struggled with the number of losses we faced at the beginning of this year, including a birthday buddy and one of her grandfathers.  She has grown in the Lord through these experiences and continues to flourish in her endeavors.  In November, she was baptized as a communing member of our church.  She has been progressing well at the violin and has started playing out and about as well.  Her first recital was great, and we have learned that she has quite an ear for music.  School has been going well, and she has surpassed our standards, which we set rather high.  She is growing into a beautiful young lady and has defined her own style and way of holding herself.  She enjoys cooking and baking more and more, regularly making meals for the family or contributing items for parties or get-togethers.  This year also brought about the finalization of Patrick's adoption of Abi.  While he has been her dad since our wedding day, she is now legally his daughter.  

I have been thoroughly enjoying my role as a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom.  I have had the privilege of starting a Facebook group for homeschooling families in our town.  It has been a great place to connect with other families and coordinate trips and other extracurricular activities.  I have enjoyed sharing my journey here as well as through one-on-one mentoring and discipleship.  I have enjoyed hosting a ladies' Bible study for the past few summers and hope to do so again this coming year.  I have also added tutoring to my list of activities for this year.  All of these things have given me the opportunity to continue putting my training and experience to work in various avenues while still being home with my children.

Patrick is not one to be cooped up.  With two different periods of quarantine this year, our old and rotting deck has been torn down, a garden has been prepped and fenced for this coming spring, and a compost bin created and put to use.  In March, Patrick made a career switch that he loves and has been good for his family as well.  He also began thinking about a way to help other people in and around our city.  As a result of those ponderings, we have started the process of incorporating a non-profit organization, Community Life Training.  Our goal at Community Life Training will be to help people learn skills that are helpful for a successful and happy life.  We are hoping to have filed all of the paperwork and be holding our first class by mid-February.  By the end of next year, we would like to have four regular classes with more being added throughout the year.  Our first four classes will be basic automotive, basic home maintenance, budgeting, and finance/banking.  Patrick and I will probably take the lead on teaching the initial classes with the hopes of more teachers joining us as we grow and expand.  

I am thankful for the opportunity to share my journey with you this past year.  I look forward to sharing more in the year to come.  I pray that what I have to share is helpful as you grow in your walk with the Lord and your role as a godly woman.  May my journey encourage you on your own!