II Timothy 1:7 - "Thrive"

Woo hoo! Another year of life completed and another year closer to going to my eternal home! I'm so ready to be away from the 'junk' of this world; the aches and pains in my physical body; and the hurts in my emotional body. I know my time on this earth will only be over when the Lord says so. There is still a lot of work to be down before I get to be at peace with Him. The past year has been exciting with a lot of neat things happening...

• August started with me having three birthday cakes! It also saw a trip with the Ladies to Florida to Palm Coast and a visit to St Augustine.
• September was another trip to Florida when Doc and I evacuated when we thought the hurricane might hit. It also was exciting to have Miss Aiya join the family as grand baby #7 with her birth for Adam and Rachel. I was blessed with lunch and a visit with Mary and Russ Lilly when they stopped to visit after being in Hilton Head. Patty and Donis Williams met us for dinner one night on their visit to Hilton Head. I love living in a vacation area! September was also when Doc and I celebrated twenty-nine years of marriage...woo hoo!
• October we went out to dinner with Chris and Lorie Kelbley and their family when they were in town for their son's graduation from Boot Camp. We also were blessed with Rogera and Glenda staying with us for a week. They brought with them all kinds of goodies from 'home'! Doc went to see Miss Aiya in October while I stayed home to preach one of my 'school' sermons.
• November started our '30 Things to Do Before our 30th Anniversary' celebrations. We also had fun taking drives to see fall leaves toward the end of the month.
• December we participated in our first Wreaths Across America with putting wreaths on graves at the National Cemetery. What an honor to do this! After Christmas we did another pre-30th anniversary celebration by going to Juicy's in Savannah. 
• January saw a quick trip to Ohio for me when my Momma was in the hospital. Thankfully she was able to go back home and continue life on her own! Doc had my wedding ring sized so I was able to wear it for the first time since my breast cancer surgery. Pastor and Spouse Retreat was a cruise to the Bahama's so we checked off another thing on our "30 Things To Do" list. What a blessing!
• February was one of my favorite months with a visit to Ohio to see my grand babies. Of course, their parents too! LOL! Oh how I miss my babies and their babies! February also had a 'clean' mammogram for me! Woo hoo! I had a great treat in February when my sister Linda came for a visit. I cherish those days! We also saw the first construction on the church building with the new roof put on.
• March was special as I was able to watch Matthew Helmick graduate from the Marine Corp. We had a nice dinner with Debbie and her family the night before. We also celebrated Doc's birthday with a trip to Juicy in Savannah. We finished out the month with a Ministry Assessment weekend in Tennessee for me. It was awesome to be able for me to get to see Miss Aiya in person for the first time when we stopped at their house for a night going home.
• April was the month Bill, Marlene, and the girls came to visit. Mordecei loved seeing his 'Golden Girls' again and we loved visiting with them!
• May was not a month of pleasantries with Doc's diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was full of doctor appointments, tests, etc. Thankfully God continued to be with us through it all.
• June continued to be busy with his diagnosis as chemo began. It was also busy for Paul and his family as they sold their house and prepared to move to the Houston area for a job promotion. I am so proud of him and excited for their 'new' life. Interior construction of the church building was awesome to see this month!
• July started out with us taking a couple nights away to the Augusta area during Doc's first break week from chemo. It was nice to spend time not pressed with doctor appointments, chemo, etc. July also saw Ben's family sell their home to move closer to his new position. Once again, I'm so proud of my boys and what they are accomplishing in life! I received what I hope to be my last District Ministers License in July. Hopefully next year I will receive ordination by the Church.

As I reflect on the past year, I see pictures of lots of trips to my 'happy place' Hunting Island; pictures with lots of children and lots of God's beautiful creation we live in; many of what we have been involved in with our church family; and the most precious pictures of time with my honey.  It has been a full year with lots of 'ups' and lots of 'downs' but the most important thing in my life is my God who is always with me. He supports me, encourages me, and most of all loves me. This year saw me preaching more than ever before. It saw lives being transformed through me with some accepting Jesus into their heart for the first time. Last week, a little guy prayed the prayer in Children's Church which blessed me in abundance. The year also showed an outpouring of support for us personally and for our church. The Facebook birthday fundraiser I did for our Building Fund raised $6,265 to date! Woo hoo! We have been blessed personally with meals, money/gift cards, groceries, and most of all prayer support throughout the time since Doc's cancer diagnosis. God loves us through others in a mighty way. In the year ahead, I look forward to many things. Doc's healing; my ministry growing; a trip to see grand babies in both Ohio and Texas; celebrating our 30th anniversary; and of course seeing where God leads me. Woo hoo! It sounds like it will be a great year to be a Daughter of The King! I will continue to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 so He can work in and through me no matter what comes before me! I love these words to a song Casting Crowns sings...

Just to know You and
To make You known
We lift Your name on High
Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more
Than ordinary lives
It's time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for another year of life! Thank You for all of the blessings over this last year and the ones in the year ahead! Father, may You cleanse me so You can fill me today! May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day in a mighty way! I pray this not just for today but for all my days. Lord, be greater than me. Change lives through me. Transform me so I can go deeper with You in the year ahead. Go before me and give me Your strength to not just 'get through' tough times but to "Thrive" through them. Bless Doc today with a better day in his physical health. Bless him with more energy and feeling better than he has been. May You shine brightly through both of us today! Thank You Jesus for being My King! Amen.