2015 Top Nine

I was reflecting on 2015 a few nights ago when it *finally* occurred to me that the year was ending.
What automatically comes to my mind is how tough this year was.
We came through some painful illnesses, our son spent a good part of the year in a bad mood, my husband had few days off until he finally quit nine months into the year, and we outgrew our apartment to the point of discomfort.

Despite the difficulties, God never abandoned us and, as always, He showed Himself strong for us in our weakness.
God is good no matter what.

So here, in no particular order, are my top nine from 2015 as listed above:

The best birthday present: a new church-
In October 2014 we left the church we had been attending for over three years in search of a church closer to home. It was a disheartening search but finally, the last week of January (a week before my birthday) God lead us to visit the last King James only baptist church in our area.

Seeing our son make friends-
B didn't really have friends before we started attending our new church and its been a very big blessing to see him learn from others, be part of a group, and have lots of fun.

New friends, old friends, all good friends-
It's lovely to have friends who watch your back and pray for you from a distance. I don't think we'll ever understand the difference the intercession of others makes in our lives.

I was there for my nephew's birth-
Being present for my sister's son's birth is a memory I'll always cherish.

The freedom, joy and peace gained from leaving social media-
The longer I've been away from social media, the more I've learned about myself, and the easier it is for me to get along with others. I'm grateful I left.

The joy, growth, and love I share with my husband-
Marriage gets sweeter with age, by God's grace we'll continue to grow closer to Him and to each other.

God gave  me  us grace and strength to face each day-
We needed a lot of grace and a lot of strength this year and He made sure we had more than enough.

God met our needs each day and showered us with His tender mercies-
We never needed anything and His hand was always evident in everything we did.

Being able to teach all the children at church-
I taught the youngest children for a portion of the year and then moved to the older ones. I have loved getting to know them all and work with them on the Christmas Play. They've taught me a lot about life, God, and myself.

2015 was a year for growth. I've come out of it having learned a lot about myself. I only hope I can use my knowledge of myself to bear godly fruit. All in all, I'm glad to keep moving forward, and by God's grace I will.

2016 is already exciting- we're currently moving into a four bedroom house on an 18 600 sqf lot.
I cut my long hair and now its so short I can barely twist it into a bun. Lord willing we'll go to Mexico in November for my father-in-law's 70th birthday. My husband is no longer a chef and has started his own business- that will certainly make things interesting.
I'd me over the moon- literally- if Jesus came back and caught us all up to heaven.
Until then I'll keep trying to serve Him and enjoy His blessings the best I know how.