A Thousand Years/A Thousand Words

 
2 Peter 3:8  "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."



The end of a year, and subsequent beginning of another always feels both ominous and exciting to me. There's the aspect of "what will this next year hold?", and "how might I live in it differently?"  Most of us feel a sense of a fresh start, new opportunities, of a slate that's been wiped clean. When, in actuality, it's just another day...

Days tumble, sometimes, one after another, seemingly out of our control. We make our plans, and in spite of our best intentions, something or someone interferes with those plans. Still, I believe that it is important to live purposefully, allowing God to fulfill His purpose in us; and, to  respond to life's circumstances in a way that brings Him glory.

Howard and I are 54 and nearly 55, respectively. We frequently find ourselves talking of our limitations and aches and pains, and quoting, "Getting old ain't for sissies."  Inasmuch as we are able, he and I are going to take our health a bit more seriously this year.
We have also begun the thought process of "passing the baton" (so to speak) to our children:

Uncle "Sam", with Laura & Louis

Samuel is itching to take over A & A Window Washing. He got a good taste of what it would be like in December, when Howard was too sick to work.  What a faithful son he has been!




And, Lauren, graduated from Nursing School, with High Honors: Valedictorian! She is currently working in the ICU at Providence Hospital in Waco.

Andrea took a quick break from her teaching responsibilities in KY to join us for Lauren's special day.

Charlotte (& Fred, of course!) graced our family with another adorable grandson, Dylan Ray Reber, who is now 3 months old.

Patrick and Antoine reside in Waco, where he is working on his own "fresh start". We have had ample opportunities to be part of Antoine's little life (he will be 2 the end of May). 

Lauren's accomplishment lit a fire under Micah to finish his schooling this year in order to pursue plumbing as a career. He certainly seems to have an aptitude for it!  Ethan is  finally getting the therapy and equipment he has been lacking. I've even designated a room in our mobile home for his therapy. Joshua also continues to plug away at his schoolwork, which usually isn't quite challenging enough for him.









One personal highlight for me this year was participating in a group  whose purpose was to take a photograph each day. I have enjoyed this project so much, that I have decided to do it again. I found myself looking at my world with a vision of beauty and order and color, that may have been overlooked previously. An "eye opening" experience, to be sure! :-)



Since, it has been said that "a picture is worth a thousand words", I'm going to sprinkle this epistle liberally with photographs, and wish you all a blessed new year.

Leslie,
for us all.