“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)
Merry Christmas, Friends and Family! This year I had good success in getting out our Christmas cards, but failed to include the letter. This is indicative of how life is right now. I seem to come up short in many areas these days. That's okay, we make it work and get the really important things done! Our family has had a great year full of good health, loving family and most of all hopefullness.
There have been many surprises this year. Bryan changed jobs twice! He left his job as a manager at Carquest to become a database developer at the beginning of this year. He enjoyed that job a lot. It allowed him to grow professionally in the field he loves, and he worked with some great people. It was a leap of faith for us as we left behind a permanent position for a contract one, but it was well worth the risk. At the end of his contract, he was recruited by another company, and was elated to take the job of his dreams. We are indeed grateful each day that God opened the door to such a positive and family friendly work environment for Bryan.
As for me, I have been continuing my work with Providence and love every day of it! I run programs that reach out to the community. One of my favorites is Jobs for Life. This program reaches out to those who are unemployed or underemployed. Many of our students have great obstacles to overcome--being a single parent, lack of transportation, no network, a record, etc... Our main goal is to help our students see that God has gifted us with special skills and talents that He wants us to share with the world. He created us to work! I get to watch complete transformation happen in our student’s lives. I tell everyone, if you want to see a miracle happen before your very eyes, volunteer for Jobs for Life. You will see God take a broken and hopeless situation and turn it into glorious results. Can you tell I love what I do?
Now to our kids- we love them so much. Silas is a TEENAGER! He started high school this year. Raising a teenager these days is no easy task. We are working at it though and learning a ton as we go. Silas is still into sports, which is good since he is taller than Bryan, strong and lean. He ran Cross Country this year and is now playing on the WCBA high school team. Severin is 12 and in the seventh grade. He still enjoys math, but mainly focuses on basketball and friends. He is bright, caring and responsible. Sev also is a fantastic big brother to Tyler and Sadie Grace. He loves beating up Ty and playing with his little sis.
Tyler is in first grade and he is learning so much. I cannot believe how all the sudden one day school clicked. He is a good reader and gets 100% in math consistently (that’s not from his mother’s gene pool). He stays really busy with sports. Ty is involved in Fall baseball, Winter basketball, Spring baseball and Summer swimming. You might think that is a little crazy, but I am telling you, this kid has the most energy I have ever witnessed in my life. It must be unleashed via sports or he will literally bounce through the house like a pinball. Tyler still waits with great anticipation to see his step-brothers each week and loves Sadie Grace. All the boys have adapted well to our sweet girl.
Speaking of our little miracle, Sadie Grace, she is almost 19 months old. Every day is a complete joy with her. She’s learning so much these days. She’s all over the place--never playing with toys, always climbing on chairs, stairs and all over us. Over Thanksgiving she put two words together--”get away.” Well, if you had 3 older brothers picking you up all the time, teaching you to wrestle and showing you all kinds of wild behaviors, that might be your first word combination too! I’ve pretty much accepted that Sadie Grace will not be prissy or dainty. She’s exactly what I dreamed of though-- sweet and spunky. Bryan and I look at her sometimes and cannot even believe God granted us another precious gift. We are so grateful.
Bryan has been reading me John Piper’s Advent devotional which by the way is for real smartie pants--that is why he is reading it to me, then explaining it. There was one in particular devotion that struck me deeply:
Thus says the Lord: the meaning of Christmas is that what is good and precious in your life need never be lost, and what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed. The fears that the few good things that make you happy are slipping through your fingers, and the frustrations that the bad things you hate about yourself or your situation can’t be changed—these fears and these frustrations are what Christmas came to destroy.(The Dawning of Indestructible Joy, John Piper)
Sunday night, I joined over 100 parents at the Wake County Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting Ceremony. Every December, bereaved parents get together to remember their child(ren). I go every year even though it is hard and reminds me of the greatest loss of my life. Beside me sat a couple who lost their teenage son 55 days ago. The pain is raw and almost debilitating. Christmas time is a time of intense agony for bereaved parents, especially the newly bereaved. There is so much hurt, confusion and frustration in that room. As I sat there looking at my child’s picture among the others,I found myself thinking of this very quote: “What is good and precious in your life need never be lost.” No, Mer is not lost. I might not be able to hold, kiss and touch her this Christmas, but she is secured deep into my mind and soul and will be with me always. Also, all the things that I used to hate about my situation have been transformed from beauty from ashes. For me, Piper’s thoughts are spot on. Without Christmas, my life transformation would not have been possible.
I am so encouraged and excited about the future. I feel that 2015 is going to be a great year. God meets each of us right where we are every year. He has given us so many gifts--unconditional love, guidance and hope. His greatest gift of all was Jesus Christ! I pray you know Him as your Savior and can experience all His mercies this Christmas!
Blessings,
Beth & Family
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