Sometimes I lose focus as to who I'm supposed to be encouraging and helping. A very wise "Shrenda" once told me to focus on my little family and set boundaries for who I help. Not that helping others is bad, but she knows I am easily distracted and need to be reminded. She has reminded me of this for YEARS!
For the first time in our family, we've set Family Goals. I won't share them all, but I can say that we plan to be intentional with our marriage and our kids. We plan to have budget meetings (which will include a spreadsheet overview, per my Accountant). Rest assured, I'll take pictures all along the way. Um, not of the budget meetings though, because those are confidential and will require a password to attend!
The social media version of our family
Our friends know the real version!!
My mom and my childhood friend, Julie, were visiting on
the day our amazing photographer captured these.
We got started in December with Acts of Kindness. Thankfully they are posted on FB so I won't lose them. Also, they're not specific to December, so anyone can use them any time. All 5 of us survived those Acts of Kindness, so I'd say they are doable. Maybe doing them every single day was a bit much for us, but it was a great way to refocus on others. They helped the kids get creative in ways they give "gifts" to others. Mostly importantly, it helped them think of others! The acts related a Bible verse, so the kids can understand why we do what we do in our family. My sweet husband lead them each morning at breakfast like it was second nature to him. And writing them helped me see things from a new perspective and God let me use my creativity too!!
Here's a blank version for anyone who might be able to use them!
One day, when life slows down I want to look back at 2018 and share what I learned from the process of moving my parents to Texas. There is so much more to that story than I can fathom. I'm still processing the events and the miracles. Our family is still sifting through the pains and challenges too. Our 2018 has definitely been one of growth. All in all, it was a great year. Seems funny to even say that given the challenges. Even our new bank friend shakes his head at all we've accomplished and faced head on. He doesn't even know the half of it!
Our 2018 has been filled with challenges within our own family as well as challenges for some of our dearest friends. My husband can tell you that I almost burned up my phone with texts over the summer! Between my own neediness and the needs of my hurting friends, my texting thumb is ready to go on vacation. HA! Encouraging words and reminders of Truth pretty much ruled my phone for months. The texts went both ways though. Friends stood in the gap for me when I was taking my parents to court and traveling to Arkansas. They also brought meals to my family so that Russ didn't have to do "both jobs" (as Samuel so lovingly puts it) while I was away. Our house suffered while I was in survival mode. Thankfully there's grace and a helping hand! It opened my eyes to the need for more help around the house, which the kids and hubby are stepping up to tackle!
We've had friends battling cancer and friends with big marital challenges. These are all friends we've known for years, which made it comfortable. Is that even a thing? A comfortable time of challenges? It's seems to be easier to walk these hard roads with people we've known for years. It's easier to open up to them when you've seen the challenges they've faced too. Some friends I've blogged about recently and some I haven't...yet! I cannot change the name of everyone I include in blogs because I simply can't keep all the fake names straight in my head. In fact, my phone now autocorrects "Drenda" to "Shrenda". It also autocorrects "placemats" to body part names, so clearly it's unreliable and uneducated anyway! I will say that having a group of friends who now randomly gift each other keeps life interesting. Sometimes we know the gift-giver and sometimes we don't. That part is fun!
this year! Thanks to my spiritual momma for making this happen!
God has brought additional spiritual mommas in my path since the summer. To my surprise, they all text like a bunch of teen girls! They share verses and Truth. They make me laugh and check in on me. One super quiet pastor's wife even listens to TMac, so she went up a point on my "She's All That" scale!! Maybe one day I'll blog about these ladies too! In my free time...
Some HUGE highlights of December 2018:
1) Joey got baptized on Dec. 16! This special day made my eyes "sweat" a tiny bit. My mom was able to go to church with us this morning. We had our church family crowded in the back. And my amazing in-laws SURPRISED us by just showing up...as if they just happened to be in the neighborhood SIX HOURS AWAY FROM HOME! It was definitely a day to remember You can watch his baptism at the link below.
http://www.firstcolleyville.com/baptisms#!/swx/pp/media_archives/297342/episode/76673
2) Russ and I celebrated 14 years of marriage on Dec. 18! Our school and lock Karate business offered a date night where we could drop the kids off to learn self-defense, eat dinner, and watch a movie. Then, my hubby took me out to a favorite Italian restaurant that we haven't had a chance to visit in months! Such a sweet treat...and yes, I shared my dessert!
Ok, I'm chasing squirrels like my spiritual momma "Shrenda", so stay tuned for more adventures of our family in 2019. I'd like to say I'll do better about blogging, but I'm not sure that's a reliable statement. After all, I'm "yearbook staff" for my kids' school. I love love love that opportunity. I use it be funny and gift others, so it's fun to me. Oh, and I love pictures!! Things are better at home with the kids since the summer. I've been seeing a counselor to help me sift through the things of my childhood - both good and bad - that have made me who I am today. The communication is improving in our marriage and we're actively working together to make life better!
"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:3
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