Today my husband started counseling for the first time ever and loved it, but didn’t want to talk about it. Tonight I made tissue paper lanterns for our solstice party with friends, where we will look at each other in the cold dark and whisper we have turned another year. I am proud of both.
My sweetheart has been building a Christmas album for as long as I’ve known him. In fact, the first gift he ever gave me was his version of “Silent Night” delivered to my dorm room.
We are up to 22 tracks now, and I say “we” because he’s received much help from friends and family over the last two decades. Band mates, in-laws, dear friends, all six kids, and even a hesitant wife have contributed. We’d love for you to give it a listen this week! Merry Christmas.
Currently reading/recently-ish finished:
Outlawed, Anna North
On Rotation, Shirlene Obuobi
Straight A Leadership, Quint Studer
Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins
The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune
The Bird Way, Jennifer Ackerman
Ithaca, Claire North
Wintering, Katherine May
A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes
No Ego, Cy Wakeman
The Hotel Nantucket, Elin Hilderbrand
#getaftergrateful 2022 community life lately marriage motherhood the whole & simple gospel
December 16, 2022
I surprise myself every time I reference my baby and someone asks about her age. Good gracious, she’ll be ten on her next birthday. And then we attend events like our church staff Christmas party tonight and hold actual babies and remember how intense those years were and how quickly they’ve passed. I miss those days and I love the ones I’m in now.
Chris stopped by the hospital with me after our anniversary dinner. I needed to check on our daughter’s swab results (Influenza A, yay, real romantic). Anyway, I love this photo he snapped in my office.
We have been married fourteen years today. We have seen far more good times than bad. We have lived, laughed, loved, and all of that important stuff. But we have also, on more than one occasion, stared into darkness so deep we feared it might swallow us whole. It feels good to be standing in the light again.
Instead of spending lots of money on a vacation this week, we spent a lot of money on cross-country skis for the family. Here’s to new adventures and hopefully, maybe a hobby for Momma.