Whew! Have you been able to take a moment and stop and catch your breath after the holiday "gladness"? (I'd say "madness" but that word only fits in certain cases and not in this one :) I've said it before...I love the holidays! But, this week between Christmas and New Year's can be a bit of a "no man's land". Sleeping in, eating up all the leftovers and goodies, continued visits with guests and the big decision "Do we have a New Year's party or not?". (oops...forgot the other big question "Do I take down the tree and all the decorations, or wait until the first week of January?" This week holds all the possibilities of getting something "done" or continuing on with celebration. Once your family and guests leave...we are left with...what now?
At this moment, my dear sweet and incredibly gifted, strong husband is re-rocking our fireplace (is re-rocking a word?). We have an old grey brick front on our fireplace and have for 6-1/2 years wanted to replace it. An unexpected "blessing" is enabling us to do this. It was "planned" for January, but the rock came in yesterday and since Jim has a couple of free days...and yes, if you know my husband at all...it will be done in a couple of days! My tree is still up; the garlands still hanging, and my living room looks like a rock quarry! The questions playing in my mind yesterday (as in the first paragraph of this blog)...have now been answered. The only thing getting "done" this week is that fireplace! I am hiding in the bedroom! Actually, I have been invited by two very close girlfriends to go to the coast for a couple of days...Jim was invited also, but with the arrival of the rock...well, you get the picture....I get a girls' trip away and it couldn't have come at a better time :) When I return, all will be done, the dust and rock will be cleared (I HOPE he reads this blog :) and I can rejoice with a lovely fireplace setting. The Christmas clean-up will wait :)
My favorite part of this week is the quiet waiting upon the Lord to get a sense of His plan and goals for the coming year. I always ask Him for a Scripture reference to "pray over my children" for the next 12 months. I ask for a sense of purpose and some practical goals I can write in my journal. I admit that I feel a bit distracted as I write this and hear banging in the next room, but I am hoping and anticipating the quiet time at the coast will give me some direction for 2012 :) My prayer for you, my dear friends, is you will also be able to find some quiet time with no distractions to wait on God and hear His voice and His heart for you for 2012. It brings a sense of joy and peace to go into a new year having heard from Him. I certainly don't get all my questions answered or have a 12-month plan, but just knowing in my heart I am being held by His hand enables me to face January with a measure of hope. Some of us need hope for the coming year - perhaps 2011 was definitely not what you expected. Life threw some curve balls at you. If the past twelve months is a year you do not want repeated in any shape or form...and you need hope and joy once again, take some moments in these last couple days of the year to sit at His feet and draw strength from Him. So that "times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19
And I pray the God of all peace will grant you all the strength, comfort, peace and joy your heart is needing and wanting as you close out 2011.
At this moment, my dear sweet and incredibly gifted, strong husband is re-rocking our fireplace (is re-rocking a word?). We have an old grey brick front on our fireplace and have for 6-1/2 years wanted to replace it. An unexpected "blessing" is enabling us to do this. It was "planned" for January, but the rock came in yesterday and since Jim has a couple of free days...and yes, if you know my husband at all...it will be done in a couple of days! My tree is still up; the garlands still hanging, and my living room looks like a rock quarry! The questions playing in my mind yesterday (as in the first paragraph of this blog)...have now been answered. The only thing getting "done" this week is that fireplace! I am hiding in the bedroom! Actually, I have been invited by two very close girlfriends to go to the coast for a couple of days...Jim was invited also, but with the arrival of the rock...well, you get the picture....I get a girls' trip away and it couldn't have come at a better time :) When I return, all will be done, the dust and rock will be cleared (I HOPE he reads this blog :) and I can rejoice with a lovely fireplace setting. The Christmas clean-up will wait :)
My favorite part of this week is the quiet waiting upon the Lord to get a sense of His plan and goals for the coming year. I always ask Him for a Scripture reference to "pray over my children" for the next 12 months. I ask for a sense of purpose and some practical goals I can write in my journal. I admit that I feel a bit distracted as I write this and hear banging in the next room, but I am hoping and anticipating the quiet time at the coast will give me some direction for 2012 :) My prayer for you, my dear friends, is you will also be able to find some quiet time with no distractions to wait on God and hear His voice and His heart for you for 2012. It brings a sense of joy and peace to go into a new year having heard from Him. I certainly don't get all my questions answered or have a 12-month plan, but just knowing in my heart I am being held by His hand enables me to face January with a measure of hope. Some of us need hope for the coming year - perhaps 2011 was definitely not what you expected. Life threw some curve balls at you. If the past twelve months is a year you do not want repeated in any shape or form...and you need hope and joy once again, take some moments in these last couple days of the year to sit at His feet and draw strength from Him. So that "times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19
And I pray the God of all peace will grant you all the strength, comfort, peace and joy your heart is needing and wanting as you close out 2011.
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