Hi friends,
Happy New Year to all of you!
Does it feel real to you yet?
2022?
Have you written it yet?
It feels abit indifferent for me still.
But I'm ready for a new year...
I get excited for all the new things ahead.
Also, I like to look back to look forward.
2021 was hard for my family and yet we
are so blessed.
God is good.
In sadness however
... we lost our brother in law last summer.
Turning the calendar year doesn't
ease the pain in any way shape or form.
Then shortly after, we lost my father in law too.
They are both so very, very missed.
I know many of us have lost people we love.
We hold close our memories and think of
them every day.
A very good thing that happened last year
was our son got married and so we gained
a daughter. We have loved her for so long now and
having it official ... well we are overjoyed
by that.
This morning when I went for my walk I stood at the trailhead
of my path and noticed the light in the photo above.
A HEART.
It was so obvious and I took a few photos of my shadow standing
there with the heart light.
The image made me think of my walking stick and
the verse on it in Ezekiel.
It's so meaningful to me. Like a life lesson...
and brings forth my word for the year: Beloved.
So... while we are here at the shed today I thought
I'd share a few new things....
-- One... it's almost Rosies birth day.
I can't believe she's almost a whole year old.
I'm so thankful for her... so that's another thing..
we have dogs this year!
My dog friends understand I'm sure.
I'll never forget Trent sending me photos of corgi puppies.
We'd been looking and looking and were even on a wait list.
This was just meant to be.
Our new Rosie.
Another sweet thing of my week...
this juicy beautiful, delicious orange.
Two gifted to us Christmas eve at the new church
we've been visiting.
Yesterday I ate the second orange... so sweet ...
and full of childhood memories from the Britton Catholic church.
Memories of back then to church today....
grateful.
Had our girl recently and it was such a warm day.
We had jackets on because we were riding side by side but
we also took a walk in the woods.
This child blesses my pea pickin heart.
I'm a creek hopper through and through.
I love love love to walk in creeks...
so does my lil bear.
This is our boots in the water.
We played so hard.
I love being her olde Gram... and thank God
for such a gift.
When we got back up to the house I asked her
if she had fun.... she said "Ohhhh yeahhhhhhh and
I didn't want to leave!!!"
Me too Sugarplum.
Same here.
My boots took two days to dry out.
She took hers off in the side by side and dumped
water all over the floor and not only that
but deer corn too.
How she gets kernels of corn in her boots when she
feeds the deer I'll never know!
The weather here is now abit colder.
These old red mittens were gifted to me years
ago from my sweet Mil.
I'm so attached to them and love when it's cold
enough I get to wear them.
Another random gratitude.
Oh and then there was this:
Most people make gingerbread houses during Christmas but ours
was not done til after the new year.
A new memory for 2022.
I will always look back on this day with so much gratitude.
Starting the new year building with my people.
With the calendar year turning...
this ended:
My dear sweet Emily is completely full.
I have written my guts out in her.
She knows it all and what a good friend she's been.
I do have friends here but tend to be a lone ranger.
Even when I was younger ... unmarried... most of my really good friends were guys.
As an adult ... now... I have girl friends but .... I've learned
the hard way to guard my heart.
Around Christian circles they always speak about community.
You hear podcast after podcast about community... friendship
and doing life together. I get it but ... I don't get it.
The close friends I have... often call me their bff.
They say they can tell me anything ... and yet
honestly I can't say I feel the same way.
I listen... I keep confidence, but ... it's not a two way street.
In the past, I've been burnt to a crisp.
That's why Emily here has been my safe space.
She knows how to keep her mouth shut. She doesn't judge and is always there.
I've wondered now that she's full what do I do with her?
I thought about building a bonfire. But I can't.
I started reading in her today and I love the memories
prayers and life and love she holds. The last page and a half I wrote to
whoever holds her and reads her someday. I asked for grace.
Lots of it. I admitted what a mess I am... sometimes.
And asked forgiveness for all my shortcomings.
Do you ever worry about who reads your journals?
To really write real... and be authentic... well..
it's a little scary to think someone will read your deepest thoughts.
Then I opened a brand new one.
It's a b6 slim size and fits perfectly into this leather sparrow.
Now for a name?
I still don't know? Emily again?? I don't think so.
One of my biggest prayers is to have my very own Jonathon.
So I think I'll call him Jonathon.
I wish I had a real one here but ... maybe someday?
I mean that metaphorically of course.
Do you name your journals too?
I also started this book as well.
It's for collecting tidbits of life that I absolutely love.
My new Vision Journal.
A place to keep photos and magazine clippings and all the things
I love
I love the brand M on the leather.
It's so beautiful and fits the M in my name.
I also finished another faith journal,
writing a scripture a day.
So another new one has started.
These two inks are coming along with me this year.
Frankincense and Myrrh.
The frankincense is a beautiful gray ... and writes very smooth.
And also these ... thank you Dawn for these bottles of
Kentucky bluegrass and gooseberry.
(I have two pens filled with them now.)
The green and purpley colors are beautiful.
This pen case was a Christmas present...
It holds ten pens... and I've never had a leather case.
I love Latin... and the engraving"Gloria in Excelsis Deo."
Glory in the highest to God.
and this is the newest bible study-
the gospel of John.
What a great way to start the year...
In the beginning was the Word....
So these are a few new things starting the year...
random gratitudes and if you are a journal junkee like me
then you know how fun it is to start something new.
Until we meet again,
<*))))><
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