2014.
Christmas Eve.
Drinking my early morning coffee, just before beginning the last minute rush to get ready, pack the car and do the road trip toward Family ...
It's been a year of change, but then, aren't they all. And Blessings. Many blessings.
My mom lost her voice during one of those freaky illnesses where it looked like one thing and turned out to be something else. Two surgeries, 40 fewer lbs., and some therapy later, she can make words louder than a whisper. But as the doctor said, "Don't think about getting on stage at the Opry." Thankful that she has remained healthy through out. On the upside - shopping and a new wardrobe! Ron's mom spent a week in the hospital, a traumatic experience for a sweet lady who loves sleeping in her own bed at night. Thankful that she made the best of it, that it turned out as well as it could have, and that she's back home again, none the worse for the experience.
Our son and his family FINALLY got out of the FLOOD House ... the courts are slow to move, but the case was settled at long last, and they were able to move into a beautiful new home far away from creeks and low places. Thankful for this fine son of ours and his family.
Faking Normal. THE book. Debut! Dreams do come true. Courtney C. Stevens launched at Parnassus Books in Nashville on February 25th and Barnes & Noble in Bowling Green and the Grille in Mt. Pleasant. And people CAME and they bought. It's been a great year for Courtney ... learning how to sell herself and her book, book tours, school visits and writing workshops, library visits, book festivals, panels, writing retreats. In the midst she "channeled her brave" and wrote a second book; and sold more future books and taught her collegiate classes and learned how to BE. An exciting year. A difficult year. But in the end, she forged a new future for herself. Thankful.
Multiple trips to the beach ... it's our Happy Place. Just us. Immediate family. Extended family. Beach friends. Thankful for our love of a place and for the beauty and peace it brings to all of us.
Our beach is where Courtney set Book Two ... The Lies About Truth. It launches in October of 2015. Thankful for this girl-child of ours and her talent and kindness and wisdom. Thankful for the role she allows me to share in her dreams.
Our moms. We've both lost our dads in past years, the strong backbones of our childhoods. But we have our beautiful moms. There are health challenges for each, but they remain faithful and loving, always making the best of whatever IS. Thankful.
The two of us. The TWO of us! Forty-four years and we're like the Energizer Bunny ... still going! The road to aging can be a bumpy one, but we persevere. There's a hand to hold and love to share, and we're sticking together, no matter what comes. Thankful. Very thankful.
Friends. This year has brought a re-connection with old friends and the addition of new ones, and I'm grateful. Facebook has its little evils, but it also allows for connections, and for that I'm thankful. Also for the continued blessing of the friends who surround us daily; the ones who have our backs through the good times and the bad times. Thankful.
Church, also a year of change and growth within our close-knit church family. What would we do without our support group! Thankful!
And there's change with this holiday season, too. For the first time, we're going to my sister's for Christmas Day. It's either been at Mom's or at our house for the family for all of my life. Circumstances - the fact that our son has to work on Christmas Day (fireman) and that Mom is 92 - dictate a change. So this year, I'm not cooking or preparing the house for multiple guests and multiple days of meals. I shopped early, wrapped gifts early, decorated the house and sent Christmas cards and enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle from afar. The least stressful Christmas in recent memory. Thankful!
Today we will celebrate communion with our daughter at her church. We'll visit with family and add our gifts beneath a tree that isn't ours. Tonight we'll sleep in a bed that isn't our own. And in the morning, Christmas Day, we'll arise to share a meal and open presents and visit in a home,that belongs to other beloved family members. We'll share the day with extended family, including beautiful children who are full of wide-eyed Christmas excitement. And we'll be grateful and thankful for Jesus' birth and the many, many ways 2014 blessed our family. We'll put away whatever sad thoughts we had about this past year - its disappointments and failures and struggles - and we'll begin to embrace the new. We'll "channel our brave" and look forward with added strength to the start of another year with family and friends.
Thankful.
