Reflecting on 2010

2010…Where has it gone?

I cannot believe today is the last day of this year!  I’ve heard people say time flies faster as you get older…I’m starting to believe that is true! 🙂

Today’s reading from Charles Swindoll’s Insight for Today, really got me thinking and reflecting on all God has done in my life and my family’s life this past year.  He has been so good to us!

January and February were a blur as our family was busy with Ali’s club volleyball games and show choir competitions, and Zach indoor soccer activities.  I was working two days a week at Mission of Hope, and my Mary Kay business was doing well.  I celebrated my 16th anniversary in Mary Kay in February!  Bill was working third shift in his job.  But I look at those full and busy months and realize all that God provided for us…we stayed healthy, He provided for us financially, He protected us in so many ways…especially on the roads, He gave us joy through winter, we had wonderful moments together with family and friends, etc. 

My life was shaken in March.  We spent part of spring break in Wisconsin Dells and had a wonderful time together as a family.  But the morning after we got home, I had what was called a Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia, where my heart just started beating way too fast and out of control.  That day in the emergency room, I was brought face to face with the reality of my fleeting life, and how life can change in an instant.  My blog post that day explains it all: March 18 Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia. I’ve had just a couple minor episodes since, but thankfully, have been able to bring my heart out of it.

Zach became a teenager the end of March, as outdoor soccer practice for him began.  What a talented soccer player Zach has become!  He loves playing it and it has been fun to see him grow in his skills!

Ali turned 16 in May, and got her driver’s license!  She was so excited!  God provided a car for us for her to drive, and even though it’s not the one she would have chosen, I am reminded that Grandpa Bill would have approved of this car, as he always believed that a larger car was safer.  Her black Bonneville, Bill and I feel, is a good car for her to start out with. 🙂  (After all, I grew up with driving a mint green Ford Galaxy 500…and I didn’t complain a bit!)  🙂

Ali stayed active in golf in the spring, and training still for volleyball with her team.  Her energy and enthusiasm are incredible!  Zach’s soccer games began.  At the same time, God was calling me to begin working full-time at Mission of Hope, as Phyllis announced that God was calling her and her husband, Tom to Tennessee.  At the same time, Pastor Barb also announced her retirement.  Honestly, part of me wanted to be like Jonah in the Bible and run away from what God was calling me to do.  Yet, the other part of me wanted to be obedient and was excited to see what God would do through it all.  It seemed like suddenly my life was flipped upside-down, and all the pieces of it were scattered everywhere.  This is NOT what I pictured for my life! 

Going from a VERY flexible schedule to being committed to a 8:30-4:30 schedule Tuesday through Friday was quite an adjustment for me, and some days still is. But as I obeyed God’s calling, I began to see how everything up to that point in my life God had used to train me, to equip me and to prepare me for this new calling!  What an amazing revelation that was to me!  And it still is!  God has used every disappointment I went through, every mistake I made, every Mary Kay training I learned through, every difficult situation I experienced, every joyful moment…EVERYTHING to help me become who I am today, and to help me in this work for Him!  Incredible…

God also gave me a love for the least, the last and the lost.  My heart seems to be drawn to the homeless, the hurting and the one’s who others despise.  Amazing…

Summer came and went very quickly.  We spent July 4th weekend in St. Louis and had a blast!  The Cardinals’ game was so fun, and the weather was absolutely beautiful!  We were able to spend time with Grandma Edna, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Dirk on that trip.  We spent a week in Chicago and Lake Geneva, WI the first of August for our family vacation.  We have some great family memories from that trip which are priceless to me.  God truly blessed us with a refreshing time together!  God also blessed Bill with a new job and promotion in the Lab at General Mills in August, which is actually what he went to school for at Iowa State many years ago!

Fall brought a new school year (Ali a junior and Zach an 8th grader), more soccer, more volleyball and seemed to squash our more relaxed summer schedule!  The Mission became busier and busier, and at times, my life seemed so overwhelming!  Bible Study Fellowship began, which became my “sanctuary.”  We are studying Isaiah this year, and being a Group Leader of fifteen women has been such a gift to me!  God continues to teach me and encourage me through His Word!  I don’t know how I would be able to cope without it!

We spent Thankgiving break with my brother Pat and his family in Wisconsin Dells in a condo together, and had a marvelous time!  I hope we continue that tradition as long as we can! 🙂  Christmas was very special.  It snowed all of Christmas eve day, and the sight from our back deck door was so beautiful!  We were able to spend time with all of our family and our closest friends over the Christmas weekend.  I also turned a year older on the 26th.  My family and friends made my birthday so very special too.  I am a very blessed woman!

God grew our family of four closer together this year.  He grew Bill and I closer this year.  He grew us in Him this year.  He has protected us, provided all we have needed, and has encouraged us in so many ways!  He has protected my brothers and their families this year.  He has been so good to us! 

As 2010 comes to a close, I am very thankful, humbled, and feel extremely blessed today as I look back over the year.  I look forward to the new year with anticipation of seeing God throughout the days, the months and the year ahead.  As the hymm of long ago says,