Old year, New year

2009...many exciting things have occured in this year. Early in the year we aquired our first car, passing us from that striking difference between "dependant on public transportation" to not--a real neccesity and help for our growing family and my husbands small business! Of course my mom's wedding and my third child's birth are also events that will go down in the family history and photo albums for 2009.

Yet, often times in retrospect the "unremarkable" is truly the most remarkable part of life. The area of highest impact in my life right now are my children, and when I manage to keep that at the forefront of my mind every task no matter how mundane, routine or unpleasant takes on divine purpose and lasting significance.

October of this year marked one whole year since we took Mic to Intense Feeding Therapy in Washington. We spent some time looking back and reflecting on "where we were" versus "where we are now". It was a surprising and gratifying experience to be able to tangibly measure progress. Days show no progress. Days turn to weeks and weeks to months and somewhere along the way I lose a concious measure of whether Mic is going forward, backward or in circles in her oral feeding progress. My mom's visit and added perspective helped highlight for us just how far Mic has come in this journey. All those weeks and months of tiny and intangible change have finally added up to some real measurable and secure progress. She is not there yet, but she has put in some real milage this year in the right direction. ...Thank you, Heavenly Father...

"ROUTINE" is something that us housewives need and yet try to escape from, our friend and enemy in turn. But this fall and winter as we had a flurry of medical checkups at the children's hospital for followup by Mic's many physicans never was I more happy to be able to declare at the end of each visit that it was "just a routine checkup". No traumas, no surprises, no out-of-the-ordinary concerns! While I try not waste any energy in consciencly worrying about these visits, I did find myself deliciously pleased and relieved to check each visit off of my mental checklist and move on with no further ado. Ahhhhhh, what a nice feeling!

2010. New. We all like new things. Our Creator made us that way and satisfied our need for new even in this detail, giving us a sense of time, a way to mark seasons...months...years... God is good. All the time. Just as 2009 held triumphs and struggles, sorrows and joys, I am sure that 2010 will also have both some unpleasant and pleasant in store for us. But as I enter this new year, I hold on tight to my Saviours' hand and thus so, know that all will be well.