Happy 2015 to everyone! One of my
New Year’s Resolutions this year is to do a better job keeping up with Favorite Things Fridays and the blog in
general. I’ve had a really hard time keeping up with the blog since September
when I had to start teaching again, and I really don’t want that to be the case
starting NOW.
Quite honestly, this school year has
been incredibly tough. It’s become increasingly difficult to teach for several
years now and for many different reasons. Some people are natural-born teachers
and some are not, and one thing I’ve discovered about myself over the past ten
years of teaching is that I am not a natural teacher. In fact, often I find it
quite painful and the difficulty of the job has taken over a large portion of
my life making it hard to put a lot of energy into other areas. So that is one
resolution for this new year. Put more time into my marriage, my home, and the
important things in life.
2014 carried many blessings
and good things such as the publication of Song
from the Ashes, and the opportunity to make new friendships through writers’
associations and online networking. For these things I am very thankful. I’m
also thankful for my eighty-six-year-old grandmother’s recovery from pneumonia
and a weakened heart condition. Just a few weeks ago she was in the ICU,
and last week I was able to visit her in the
comfort of my dad’s home where she looked as beautiful as ever.
My
husband and I are truly blessed to have wonderful families. My grandfather and father-in-law
both had ninetieth birthday parties this year, and Stephen and I are close with
both our families and love spending time with them. I think that’s the most
important lesson I’ve learned this year: family is king. I know a lot of people
have major drama, hardships, and heartbreaks with their families, and it’s not
always a pleasant experience for people. For us, we love time with both families and we’ve begun to realize that we need to be closer to them. Both sets
of parents and all family members live in the South Carolina/North Carolina/East
Tennessee area, and it’s becoming difficult to be the only ones up here in the rat race
of Northern Virginia.
So
for 2015 we are praying for positive change and whatever opportunities the Good
Lord may bring our way. Ultimately, it’s all in His hands, and we trust and
believe in his sovereign plans and provisions.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
