If 2010 was a heartbreaking and wretched year, then 2011 was a making sense of it all year. There were a lot of tearful moments, but I can’t honestly say it was a bad year because I’ve learned so much. I truly embraced the concept of growth through suffering and that all things do work out for my good as long as I’m keeping my eyes and heart on God. Of course, there are moments when I still feel a little picked on, but they don’t usually last that long.

Highs of the Year

First and foremost has to be my trip to Asia. Our time in China was blessed and I still think about the people we met every day. Some dreams when realized are not quite what we hoped- China was better than I ever imagined. Of course, none of it would’ve been possible without the support of Jason and my in-laws.

I was also happy to form and be part of a women’s prayer walk & service group simply called Outpouring. I’m not sure what 2012 will bring for us, but the willingness of this group to serve in both large and small capacities was a huge encouragement to me. Prayer walking downtown Clearwater has been a humbling and yet powerful and I’m looking forward to picking that up again this year.

Along with Outpouring, I accepted the opportunity to serve on my church’s local mission board. Helping plan and carryout larger community service projects is a little stressful to me, but it is all worth it to be able to give people just a small taste of God’s love. In 2010, I did a lot of reading about faith in action and surrendered to wherever that would take me. 2011 gave me many chances to follow through.

Jason changed jobs this year. Saying goodbye to lots of people who love our little family- and have tracked Julian’s latest developments for years- was sad. The new job was practically handed to Jason and, although it’s been very challenging, we’re grateful for it.

My jewelry business did very well this year, especially considering the economy. I still have a lot of things I want to do differently and I need to be better organized, but I feel like I’m on a good track. I also added a new shop on Etsy to sell some of my stockpile of antiques and stuff I can’t resist at the thrift store. I need to develop and promote that more, but, again, I feel like it’s going in a good direction.

This year I got to see my family a bit more than usual. In the spring, Julian and I went up to Missouri for a short visit. In May, I met up with my parents at the Taj Mahal and then traveled up to Nepal with them. That was an amazing trip and I loved seeing what they do and meeting many sweet brothers & sisters in Katmandu and beyond. When my mom & dad came to visit us this fall, Joy & kids came with and I got to show them our town. Since my folks aren’t in the States during the holidays often, we went up to Missouri again for Christmas. It was a bittersweet trip, but what a delightful Christmas Day we had at my aunt & uncle’s renovated church-house!

 Lows of the Year

This year was dramatic and stressful. I had maggots drop onto my head and ants invade my coffee pot. Some friendships broke down while others stalled- and yet new relationships began and others deepened. It does take an emotional toll when things shift and I’m not a person that handles change well. I’m a creative type that also doesn’t handle a super busy schedule with ease. I felt overbooked and under energized for months at a time.

My health has been in an unpleasant homeostasis. For various reasons, it’s been a year since I’ve been able to be on my thyroid medication. Most of the lovely symptoms of Hypothyroidism (fatigue, sluggishness, dry skin, a puffy face, weight gain, muscle aches and stiffness, depression) have made it challenging to function normally, but I have certainly tried to. When enough time has passed from our last miscarriage for my hormones return to their “normal” state, I do hope to get sorted out. It’s almost to the point where I don’t even remember what it feels like not to be tired.

Two days before Christmas, my dear Grandma Weeks passed from this world. We were able to spend time with her before she died and also to attend the funeral so that was a blessing. Still, my heart aches when I think about how long it could be before I see her again.

Resolutions

Hospitality- I’m resolving to open my home more. That means I’ll have to develop better cleaning habits, but I really want to have a home that God can use to encourage others. Yes, it’s a little small and the yard is untamable. I’m not a gourmet chef, but if we call it cozy and say we serve home style food, then it’s all good!

Training- to run the good race, I need to renew my commitment to daily time in scripture. I’m also committing to reading Bible stories with Julian every day and beginning scripture memorization with him.

I’m keeping it simple this year, so that’s it. Part of me is over the whole resolution thing, but then I think that a new year is a great opportunity to evaluate and make a public commitment to positive change, so why not take advantage of that?