It's December; the end of another year. One common practice is to take inventory of the past year and figure what you are thankful for, what accomplishments you've made, and what you'd like to do better. For this post, I'm going to focus on some of the "things" I'm thankful for.
First and foremost: my wife, Lisa. No finer a lady walks this earth, than the one who said "I do" to me all those years ago. We are currently in our tenth year of marriage (July 2016 will be the 10th anniversary), and the love I have for her continues to grow daily (which confuses me, since I love her NOW more than ever - so how does it seem to grow?!?) The last ten years have chronicled many a change in my life (some of which I will write about in an upcoming blog), and she has not only been here, but has encouraged me through each and every one. Never judgmental, but never afraid to "put my feet to the fire" and ask me the hard questions. I don't think I would be the man I am today without her. "I love you, Lisa".
During the year we got to experience the joy and blessings of the marriage union of two wonderful people, Shaun and Jessica, and their incredible children, Zach and Morgan. I devoted a blog to them, so I won't go into too much detail here. It's enough to say that I am so thankful they opened up their lives to us and allowed us to share in the foundations of a wonderful future.
From part of 2014 through part of 2015, I was on a sabbatical. Part of that sabbatical was a separation from what I considered "normal Christianity". You can read about that in some of my previous blogs (too many to list here). One of the side effects of being on such a sabbatical was the stepping down from the worship team at my church. (I've been a member of that team for many a year, providing bass vocals, what I call "ugly tenor" lead vocals, harmonica, and percussion accompaniment.) One of the most important parts of Christianity to me is the worship of God. No matter the form, giving your 100% attention, devotion, and expression to God is IT. Because of the sabbatical I was no longer able to "offer my gifts to the Lord", outside of in my own living room (with the stereo blaring - I'm an accompanist, after all). My friends Tony and Mike allowed me the opportunity to occasionally join them in worship on their music team. It is because of their openness, and their love of worship, that I had the opportunity to be with them during that time. I'm so thankful for that outlet. I'm hoping 2016 provides many more opportunities for such musical collaboration with them.
And lastly, I want to share how thankful I am for my father. He turned 80 years old this year, and you wouldn't know it if you met him. He is energetic and full of life. He will converse with you on almost any topic, has close friends that he spends a lot of time laughing with (which may be THE reason you wouldn't be able to guess his age), and LOVES my mother - a marriage that has lasted over 50 years (a lofty goal for any today). Some of my favorite moments have been sitting at a table, enjoying a cup of coffee, laughing and talking with this man of men. My wife and I throw him carpentry projects that he puts more effort into than most "working stiffs"; partly to keep him busy, and partly because I'm so incompetent with my hands! There is no finer man I know.
As you finish off the last of the eggnog this Christmas, make sure you take a moment to let those you love know how important they are to you. And you don't need to write a blog to do it!
Merry Christmas!
-j.p.
© Emittravel 2015
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