5th Anniversary of our move to NY

I just had to post to commemorate the 5th anniversary of our move to NY.

In someways, it feels like yesterday. I can quickly conjure my feelings and sensations of pulling into the driveway at dusk on that St. Patrick's Day, a Friday night, and seeing a full parking lot. I wondered in learning that it was full because of the quarterly healing service taking place. The parsonage empty and relatively dark, the kids and I along with the Wolf family (dear friends who moved us) walked around what would become our new home. So fresh and clean, newly painted and waiting.

I could not have known then what I know now, of course. Could I have imagined that the difficult fall the preceded the move (releasing aunt to Jesus after long battle with breast cancer, 3 weeks later my grandmother, Thanksgiving week a great aunt) would turn into a difficult spring (saying goodbye to grandfather, several trips, selling house, etc.)? I wouldn't have imagined that I would struggle with depression again. Emerging from that I welcomed my fourth baby into my womb. We also welcomed many friends and family into our home (sometimes in back to back weeks). All total we had over 7 weeks of company between July and November. SOOOOO many memories in such a short amount of time.

It was a busy first year, and first year blended into second and third and fourth. Now five years have passed. Of all the things anticipated- many have come to fruition, many, of course, have not. Wonderful joy-filled seasons stand side by side with painful challenges and yet another struggle with depression. Of course, our Lord's promises are EVER FAITHFUL and He sees us through hard times and brings us round by grace to joy again. I marvel at the Lord's provision for us- a home the perfect size, close to the church with the great blessing of having our Daddy breeze in and out of our day as he comes and goes- visiting, to meetings, to services. A wonderfully large backyard (beyond the borders of fence!) and a loving community of faithful believers.

Thank you for hanging with me through this journey of sentiment! I'm reveling in this blessing and promise from Ephesians 3:
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Did you decide what you don't want to miss?

Did you read all the way to the bottom of the Dec 8th post? (Probably not.) Let me just recap something that I'm finding really important. Think ahead to January 5th or so. Kids are trudging back to school-everyone's getting back into the normal routine- what do you wish you'd done. What gives you that unsatisfied feeling? "It went by so fast we didn't even get to ________!" Fill in the blank... I'm trying to change my to do list to not only reflect "have to's"- which will always be with us- but to put on my to-do list some things that are TRUE PRIORITIES for me and my family!

Of course these things will be different for all of us. Some of mine were making a gingerbread house with the kids- and I wanted to read Little Women to the girls and end the season watching the movie together. These things probably wouldn't be in your top 1 million- but I know you have things, too! So, why not take a moment to decide now what is truly important to you, and decide to get it done first. You can bank on not having time "left" to do these "too-important-to-miss" things!
Now- get off the computer- and GO MAKE SOME MEMORIES!!! :-) unless of course it's midnight and hubby or the kids are asleep- but put it TOP of tomorrow's list at least.
love to you all...
~katherine

PS- In response to SusieQTpie's comment- NO :) This is NOT the gingerbread house we made LOL! Just a good representative "gingerbread house" I found! Ours was an "out of the box" kit! (I'm just cracking up here-) And- Ryan & I were just talking of posting a pic of a gingerbread house that Hope brought home from a church activity tonight made out of small graham crackers- it's half eaten and roof fell off! That would be good humor!