2013 - A Desert Adventure

In 2013, I felt like life is passing me by.  No fun, no adventure, just the daily grind. I wistfully recall  previous years of tropical beach excursions, mountain vacations, and family camping trips with our RV when we lived in Texas and our kids were young. And I even think fondly of all the pool parties and tween kids in our backyard when we moved to Kansas, the dinner parties with friends, planned and unplanned. 

But in 2013, there was very few of those things, if any.  A bare sandy pit lies where the pool used to be, like a symbol of the dry barren year we have had.  Significant events have happened this year, both joyful and burdensome life markers:

 

• my Grandpa’s passing in January
• my debilitating illness in February and March
• my husband’s heart attack in April
• my promotion in May
• my daughter Emily’s first job
• my daughter’s struggle with kidney stones
• a teenage girl from Texas moving in with us (MarMar)
• my son’s hard work in cross country and the Philharmonic Orchestra
• the roller coaster of having 3 teenagers in the house
• disappointing health reports in September
• my Grandma L’s passing in December. 

The things that require the most effort, cause the most pain, or bring the greatest struggles are the canvas where my faith is displayed. It is when I truly live, when God is nearest, and when I most feel His presence.  Those things may not make a great Facebook status, but aren’t those the most interesting stories to tell?  

I do not know what significant events will happen in 2014, but because of 2013, I can face them courageously and boldly because I know that Jesus is with me, His Spirit is in me, and it WILL be an adventure.