Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry Christmas! We've decided to take it easy this year for Christmas. I never understood people who talked about struggling with sadness around the holidays after they lost someone that they love. I always thought that, if nothing else, Christmas time would cheer them up and distract them for just a little while. I think that was insensitive of me, or at the very least naive. I think that next year, with our new baby in our arms, Christmas will start to hold joy again. We'll be able to share our love and God's love with a new little person. But for this year, Christmas just holds memories, and sometimes the fact that things are just "memories" now, a past that is gone, is sad. However, I do know that my dad is having the Christmas of his life! He's celebrating in heaven with the One who came to earth to save us. How much better could it get?!

In other news, we found out that we're having a baby boy! We're so excited! It really feels "real" now, and we're starting to get busy making things ready for this baby. I can't believe that I'm almost in my third trimester. I'm starting to look a little bit more pregnant now and can't wait until I fill out even more (to the point where there would be no confusion on other people's part as to whether I'm pregnant or just gobbling a few too many Christmas cookies!). I also can't wait to start making things for this baby, but first we have to clean out his nursery and move all my sewing stuff downstairs. What I really need to do is to go through all the craft stuff I have and eliminate about half of it and that sounds like a major pain! Actually maybe I'll get started on that today, what a perfect Christmas present to myself, not to mention Bill, to get that out of the way! We'll have to take pictures of our progress as we work on the room!

Have a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you in this coming year!

One Month

My dad went home to be with his Lord and Savior one month ago today. I miss my dad more than I could ever imagine possible. He was my hero, one of my very, very best friends, and a better dad than many will ever know. Through his own example, he taught me what unconditional love looks like. He brightened all of my days with his gentle spirit, contagious smile, and silly jokes. He showed me that the best things in life aren't things and how wonderful it is to not be be anxious about the temporal worries of this world. Most of all, he loved the Lord with all his heart and demonstrated to me what a pure, wholehearted relationship with God looks like and how greatly it impacts our earthly relationships.

I can't wait until the day when he welcomes me to heaven, when I will be able to hug him and talk to him again, and when we will no longer be apart. I cannot even begin to describe the blessing that God has given to me through my dad and, I am sure He will continue to bless others through him, even after his death. I praise the Lord for the time I have had with my dad, every day was precious. God is good and His ways are perfect. He will ever amaze me with what He has in store for myself and my family. And just as my dad would always tell me, I know that God has a plan for us.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised."
Job 1:21

I will love my dad forever.