Memory Lane - 2022

I try to keep track of the good, hard, and major hard events throughout the year. Writing down the blessings, as well as the hardships, is such a great way to remember the faithfulness of God. It can also be hard to commit yourself to doing something when you don't think people are going to see it. This blog is super small and doesn't reach a ton of people. However, it's not about the views or numbers...unless it's your sole intent to grow your space. It's not my sole intent to get the most views. I just want to share my journey with whoever happens to read what I write. 

So, buckle up and let us go back in time! Also, these highlights are in no particular order for each month. I wrote them down as I remembered them. 

January: 

• After lots and lots of prayer, I stepped away from a job I had for 9 years and walked into the complete unknown...unknown at least to me.  
• I took a couple casual swing dance lessons. These lessons where at a friends house and they were to help my brother prepare for his up and coming wedding. Ya’ll, I’ve alway liked to dance, but I never realized just how much fun swing dancing is! I’m in no way a pro but I would LOVE the opportunity to learn more. My grandparents were fantastic dancers. They loved to "cut a rug" and so to make them proud and honor their memory, I want to keep it up.
• My soon-to-be-sister in-law had her bridal shower and we loved getting to shower her with love and gifts for her new home!
• January is always a bit of a hectic month for me. I tend to be a planner and when January hits, I try to have a basic idea of what I want the coming year to look like. It doesn't always turn out. In fact, when I came back from England in January of 2020, I was determined that 2020 was going to be my year! Ha. Like everyone else who planned for the same thing, we all know that 2020 had other plans. But, I am determined to try and keep a schedule for 2023! 
• I was praying that throughout 2022, I would be an encouragement to someone. I can come down hard on myself in terms of how I may or may not help my brothers and sisters in Christ. As I type this out on a chilly morning in December, I don't know if I was either a help to someone or not. I hope that no matter what, Christ shined through me and that in my weakness, He was glorified. 
• My sister in-law, Alissa, was also expecting baby #4! We all LOVE guessing when the baby will be born and if the baby will be a boy or a girl. 

So bummed we didn't have Abigail, Emily, and MaryJane in this picture!

February: 

• After prayers, tears, and more prayers with tears, I got a job. I was SO excited to begin a new chapter in my life. Looking back at it now, I had no idea just how the Lord would use this job to challenge me and help me to grow. 
• Like I have done for the past 5 years, I run a 5k on the beach. This time instead of it being by ourselves (just sisters), we had my future brother in-law run with us. It was a rather chilly day but the warmth from our run and from the sweet fellowship kept us toasty throughout the day. 
• I also ran my second Spartan race within a year! It was such a sweet trip and time away from all the distractions that life can bring. We praised God for a safe and fun time! Also, not intending to brag on myself, but in this race, I carried the MEN'S sandbag as well as the men's bucket! Maybe I'm crazy, but I love to get dirty! Maybe that comes with knowing I will be super clean afterwards. Whatever the case is, I love to trudge through slimy mud! Call me crazy, but when you're running with your favorite people, it makes for great memories and lots of laughs. 

Left to right: Me, Justin, Anna, and Elizabeth. We were SO dirty but SO joyful!

Not gonna lie, cow poo in the hair, eyes, ears and yes, mouth is not the most delightful thing to experience. 

Both of those buckets weighed over 70 pounds! 

There's nothing better than a "clean" face and a new Spartan shirt!

I am so proud of these people. I love them and treasure this time we had together. 

March: 

• Not only did the Lord see fit to grant me another year of life, but I was able to be a witness to my brother Andrew’s wedding.
• There were a lot of growing pains in March. Learning the new ropes at work and relying upon the Lord to lead and guide my emotions concerning my job (as well as other areas of my life) was a challenge to say the least. However, day by day, God brought me through each and every difficulty.
• My sister was super sick as well. It's hard for me to think back on this without becoming emotional. His grace, though. His grace is enough to carry us through any trial. O how I praise Him for healing her, as well as for continuing to grant her body strength!

Mia familia <3 

April: 

• My brother Jospeh and his wife, Emily had another baby! Charlotte Ann came into the world on April 2nd. We thought for half a second that she was going to be an April Fool’s baby, but she fooled us and came a day later! She is the cutest, most delicate baby and has gorgeous blue eyes. We love her and feel so blessed by the Lord for brining her into our lives!
• One of the many things I enjoy doing is staying active! While there's definitely a time to be still and rest, I believe we were created for movement! So when my sisters and future brother in-law decided to go for a short hike, I happily agreed to go along with them. We walked to our hearts content...even though the bugs were absolutely terrible. We even came across a water moccasin floating down a small creek. I thought I took a picture of it but I guess I was too distracted *gently* reminding my siblings that they needed to move away from it (even though they were decently far from it). 
• In April my boss at the office had a baby and so we had a cover doctor filling in for her. Having the opportunity to learn under him was a great experience for me. I loved his laidback attitude and his passion for his patients! This is what I loved about my job. I loved that the people I worked with were passionate about health and loved taking care of people!

The view was quite breathtaking. 

May: 

• Like every year, I ran the Emerald Coast Mud Run. This was the first time I ran on my own and while it was hard, I rather enjoyed the challenge of pushing myself. I tend to rely on others to help me plow along so this was a great opportunity to not only push myself, but also to encourage those around me. Now this was a mud run, so there was a ton of mud! I used to think that I wouldn't enjoy the process of getting dirty, but ya'll, I LOVE it. It is so much fun getting filthy and then running to boot! There is a downside to it though...on one of the corses for this 5k, I lost my footing, slipped (because of the, you guessed it, mud) and fell. I landed 90% of my weight on the palm of my hand thus resulting in a nasty bruise/ sprain. Because of this injury, I had a harder time preforming a lot of the other obstacles resulting in me taking way more rests/penalties than I wanted to. However, I did finish and earned my medal! Sadly though, this was to be our last time racing at this location. The school that normally hosts the race will no longer be able to. Super sad about that but oh-so-grateful for the muddy memories!
• Something super sweet that took place in May was my little sister, Anna, getting engaged! Her soon-to-be fiancé planned a hike at Providence Canyon, located in the beautiful state of Georgia. While she knew of the hike, she had no idea he was planning to ask her to marry him. It was such a sweet moment. My family and his family were getting pictures by the canyon and he asked for one of just him and Anna. He then got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife! Lots and lots of happy tears!
• We were also supposed to have our annual Holmes Creek Race but we had such a wet, rainy month that the water levels were too high. We were all super disappointed but are hopeful to do it next year! 

We were SO dirty but SO happy to be done!

Such a precious moment to witness. 

June:

• Over the course of the year, the Lord laid it heavily upon my heart to pray for certain people in my life. I've never been a great prayer warrior. In fact, this is the weakest area in my spiritual life. Lord, teach me to be diligent and pray. Elisabeth Elliot encouraged us to pray in all seasons of life. It can be easy (especially for me) to pray when life is good, but it can be oh-so-hard to pray when you are angry and when life seems to be working against you. Mrs. Elliot encouraged us to pray anyway. Meet the Lord with all your emotions. He can handle them. So, I began to pray. It wasn't always pretty or eloquent, but I prayed. And in the Lord's faithfulness, I saw Him answer some of those prayers. And can I say just how amazing it is to witness answered prayers?! The Lord is SO good!
• My sister also began trying on wedding gowns! This was such a fun process for us to be a part of!
• Also, can I tell you just how much I LOVE the summer months? I love the warm, sunny weather! T-shirts and flip-flops = the best!
• One sweet memory I have involves me going to and from work. My job began early, like 6:45 in the morning early. I never minded that part of it because I like to be up before everyone else and have my time alone. Plus, with my 31 minute drive to the office, I had some time to sit still. The drive was normally silent and I was often able to witness the sun rising and/or setting. I look back on this time and I smile. The Lord is good. I can't tell you how many times I prayed, cried, sang worship songs, or just sat in peace on those roads. While they were hard days and long hours, I always enjoyed those precious moments with my Lord. Plus, I drove by the water. I love the water. I love the sound of it and find it all rather peaceful. I thank the Lord for those gifts of being able to see the sun come up and go down. 

Elizabeth, me, and our little bean, Abihail watching Auntie Annie try on wedding dresses. 

This was taken as I was leaving for work. I can't get over the colors. 

July: 

• We were in full-blown wedding planning mode! Because I absolutely love to crochet and give gifts, I combined the two and began a blanket for my sister and her soon-to-be husband. It was my first time using a corner-to-corner pattern and I just LOVED how it turned out!
• One warm July day, a dear friend of mine invited me to go kayaking with her. You know me, anytime I can spend some quality time with dear friends, I hop at the opportunity! So, I got in my car, drove to her house and enjoyed the late morning on the water. 
• The rest of July was pretty much work, church, eat, sleep, and repeat. 

This was the beginning stages of the blanket.

Aren't those colors delicious?

I could get lost in those clouds!

I can't get over the colors! The heavens do declare the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1)

I had some of the coolest, most kind and patient coworkers ever. I miss hanging out with them every day.  

August:

• This was probably one of the hardest, most challenging months out of the year for me, work-wise. My office had SO MANY new patients! One of the many blessings of this line of work is meeting new people. I love people and I loved getting to know my patients. I loved being apart of someone's healing process and getting the chance to watch their health improve. In the midst of the hectic month, I tried to keep this at the forefront of my mind. Also, God's grace IS enough!
• One fun part of August was that I was able to attend a fun, mystery-themed dinner party. Ya'll, these are so much fun! The theme was set in London, 1980s. I can't even begin to tell you just how much I love to play dress-up and fellowship with others! This evening was such fun and I loved being a part of it. If you can't already guess, my love language is quality time! 
• I have always loved children. One of the many, many blessings of having a lot of brothers and sisters is that I have had the opportunity to be surrounded by babies for most of my life. Also, can we talk about getting in TONS of practice? God laid the passion on my heart to work with children within a church. At the time I wasn't sure if it would work out because of my work schedule, but I began to pray about it anyway. 

Maybe I captured more of the 90's than the 80's with this look...

Some light reading with my nephew, Jonathan. 

It always feels good to get a run in! Thankful for sisters who love spending time sweating together. 

My adorable niece, Alissa and her Auntie Sarah on the day of Auntie Annie's bridal shower. 

The first fitting for the dress! :) 

September: 

• Grand-baby number 8 was born! Timothy and Alissa welcomed Tirzah Filomena on September 4th. We all rejoiced and praised God for blessing us with another beautiful baby! Her birth story is rather interesting too. On the way to the birthing center, Alissa, told Timothy that he either needed to go faster or pull over because she wasn't going to make it. So, on the side of the road, and in the middle of the night, my amazing brother delivered his fourth daughter. He said he will never forget such a wild and exhilarating experience!
• Also, if you know me at all, then you know that I have had a love for the British Royal family for years.  Upon hearing of the late Queen Elizabeth’s death, my heart broke.  It may sound silly, but a part of me wanted to meet her and tell her just how much I admired her devotion to her husband, family, and country. When I had to opportunity to travel to London and actually behold Buckingham Palace, a childhood dream came true! I am so grateful that I went when I did and saw what I saw when I had the opportunity. 
• My sweet little niece, Tirzah became very sick with RSV and had to be hospitalized for almost a week. It was a very scary time for us all as well as for her parents. We praise and thank the Lord for His healing hand upon her though!
• Like always, I went through a lot of growing pains in September. The Lord brought me through each emotional ride with His grace and peace even though my life felt like I was getting hit with plot twists after plot twists! 

Even though I am slow, I try to keep myself moving. 

With the up and coming wedding, my sisters and I tried to spend as much time together as possible. 

October: 

• A week before my sister got married, some of my siblings and I went to a dress-up dinner. We all chose a favorite person/character to portray and had the best time! I love people and I love getting to sit back and just watch life. The group of friends that we have been fellowshipping with over the last year and a half have become dear, dear friends. Two of them are actually my in-laws! How amazing is our God? 
• After hours upon hours I finally finished the blanket I was making. It turned out better than I thought and I am so proud of it! I love having this gift that I can use to bless others with! 
• My sister Anna marries her love, Justin.  This was the first wedding of my siblings that I got to be in. What a joy! I can’t tell you how much I loved being able to stand up there with them, watching them commit their lives to one another. With Christ being the absolute center, and all of us bearing witness to their union…a blessing like no other and one I shall not easily forget.
• Also, after almost 8 months, I quit the job that I had prayed so earnestly for. Walking away from that was hard and I missed my patients terribly, but I knew it was the Lord's leading. 

Anna and Justin were a "Pair", Elizabeth was a lazy equestrian, Abigail was an older version of herself (she did a fantastic job!), Emily was a modern Daphne from Scooby-Do, and I did a late Victorian, early Edwardian adaptation of Where's Waldo.

The finished blanket! 

You and me got a whole lot of history...

All nine of us plus the groom!
Left to right: Abigail, Emily, me, Elizabeth, Anna, Justin, Andrew, Josiah, Timothy, and Joseph.

I'm so bummed that two of my siblings were not captured in this picture!
My brother, Timothy, surprised Anna by dressing up as Earnest P. Worrell (her favorite character as a child). It was such a special moment for all of us and one that I will treasure for ever.  

November: 

• A week after my sister got married, another sweet young lady from my church married her special someone. It was so much fun attending a wedding while the memories were fresh in our minds from just a week before! This union was also centered completely around Christ and what a joy to be a witness to their marriage! 
• Less than a week later, my dad and I hopped on a plane and flew to Italy! My dad had some family business to take care of and he invited me to go with him. We stayed with two missionaries: one based in Rome, the other based in Scalea. We balanced staying with them as well as with our family for the 10 days we were there. While it was a short time spent in Europe, I loved it! Even as I type this it is hard for me to believe that I was actually in Italy. Everything I ate was delicious, everything I saw was "magical", and everyone I fellowshipped with was filled with the Spirit! I also absolutely love my family there. They are such treasures and it is my hearts prayer is that God would open their hearts and save them. 
• Then less than a week after flying home, we celebrated Thanksgiving and I think my body crashed after that!
• And before we knew it, December was upon us!

 

I can't even begin to tell you just how large this waterspout was! It was massive!

My great aunt is one of the most precious human beings I have ever met. 
I adore her and loved being able to visit with her for a third time. 

On the first full day we were in Italy, we got to witness two baptisms. 
It was such a blessing to watch!

December: 

• Before I left my job, I was praying that the Lord would open a door for me to work within a church and with children. Well, it's amazing how the Lord works because at the moment, I am doing just that. As I type this, I have begun learning how to coach gymnastics at a church. Ya'll, I absolutely love children and I absolutely love teaching. To have been given this opportunity is quite amazing and a true testament that God hears and answers prayers! Pray for me as I journey through this. Pray that I would not waste what has been given. Pray that I would be a light to these children and be a reflection of the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
• Along with my sister, I listened to a fantastic book, Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus. We discussed it with a small group of friends one cold December evening and loved the conversation! I love it when brothers and sisters in Christ gather together and help encourage one another. We both recommend it for personal reading or a group study. Click here if you are interested in learning more.
• This year our Christmas was much smaller than it normally is for us. We had the newlyweds, Anna and Justin (along with their dog, Lucy). While we missed all the children and extra siblings/in-laws, we enjoyed the time spent with those who were there. 
• Some December thoughts: as I lay here and type this section out, it hits me that money isn't the end all. Of course in today's world, one must have money in order to have some kind of living. However, the amount isn't always important. It's a blessing from the Lord to be able to earn a living, but what are we doing with what He gives? Are we placing it right back into His hands, offering it up as a sacrifice? Or are we seeking opportunities to gather more than we need? I speak from personal experience here. It makes one comfortable to have wiggle room when it comes to finances. It's nice to know that I don't have to worry about certain bills because I know at the end of the month, I can just pay it off. I'm not advocating living a life of complete misery when it comes to your income. Far from it. What I myself am striving to learn and put into practice is living within my means. Just because I have it (more than enough) doesn't mean I need to seek extra ways to make more of it. I can live off of what He has given me. I have more than I need and with that, I am content. 
• Another thought I have as the year begins to come to a close (actually I was writing down my family's birthdays in my new 2023 planner and this came to mind): These days are fleeting. As I wrote down each of my siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews special days of their birth, I was hit with the fact that we are all growing. It's amazing for me to think back on when we were kids and to remember that we were at one time, children! Now, there are 8 grandchildren! Lord, teach me to savor these fleeting moments! Thank You, O God for this family and for placing me in this particular time with these amazingly wonderful people.

Elizabeth, Justin (photo-bombing), and Anna at a friends wedding.

An ugly sweater 5k! I only wish I was able to run it!

My cute niece, Tirzah and her aunt Sarah jut hanging out. 

On our way to a candlelight service with our cutie-pie niece, Kathleen!

On our way to a book study, my sister and I just had to pull over and capture this beautiful sunset!

We called this year the Year of the Weddings. We knew of seven that took place. Two of those weddings were siblings of mine. We also had two more babies born into our family. That brings the total of grandchildren up to eight.  

Seven Weddings. Eight Grandchildren. And many blessings in between. 

Throughout scripture, seven is a sign of completeness. The number eight represents new beginnings. Two new weddings for our family IS a new beginning!

I often try to look for the good in the not-so-good.  While 2022 was jam-packed with good, it was also curveball-ed with difficult. When I think back on where I was spiritually in January, it amazes me how God curve-balled me into some situations that required me to grow. It wasn’t without pain or heartache, but He walked alongside me as I trudged through it. 

As I go back and mull over the early months of 2022, it's hard for me. My dad and sister got really, really sick. This was one of the hardest things to walk through as a family. You know when it rains it pours? Well, it was monsoon season for us! There were so many prayers and tears, ER visits, questions, tests and more questions. Most of which went unanswered, too. 

I don't like to see anyone in pain. While this probably sounds cliché, I often wished I could take their pain and lay it on myself. I remember praying and asking God to give me some of their discomfort just so they could have less of a burden. 

Little by little though, they got better. I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am to God for His healing on them. While my dad is about back to normal and my sister is getting back to her normal self, it is different. 

I’ll be honest, I thought my life was going to look a lot different in 2022 than what has actually transpired.   I thought I would have certain things, things I've been praying for and hoping for for most of my adult life, but alas, God in His perfect will has seen it fit to keep me waiting.

Waiting is just a gift of time in disguise - 

a time to pray wrapped up in a ribbon of patience - 

because is the Lord ever late?

Ann Voskamp 

So what am I taking away from 2022?

 1. God's grace is sufficient. His grace is enough for each day and if that's all I have, then I have all I need

 2. Even if not, He is still good 

 3. Sometimes God's "no" is a mercy we cannot see or understand

 4. Taking a leap of faith is scary but often times needed

 5. Getting out of your comfort zone is good for you 

It's amazing to see just how much the Lord has blessed my family and I over the year. I mean, two weddings and two babies! Wow, just that is a gift from above (James 1:17). Then looking at all of the other things He has blessed us with: deep friendships, fellowship, community, travel mercies, and wonderful memories! 

Ultimately though, the best gift I have ever received has been the gift of eternal life. A gift that I otherwise would have rejected had not the Lord opened my heart and eyes to see my need of a Savior! 

The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23) and that there is nothing we can do to earn/work our way to heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one cometh to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

God said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Have you had any thoughts about God lately? 

Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Well, my friends, it's been a pleasure. May you go forth with hope, love, joy and the peace that surpasses all understanding!

Soli deo gloria!

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

Isaiah 55:6-7