Well, friends..it's that time of year...the time when one year is coming to an end and a new year is just around the corner.
For me, it's also a time of reflection. I look back on 2014 with great sadness. I consider this year The Year of Loss.
It's the year that I lost my Dad. It's been the hardest thing I have ever gone through, not only because of how much I grieve for him, but mostly because of how hard his passing has been on my Mom. I feel as if I lost part of her, too, when Dad passed away...that part of her went with him. And after 60+ years of marriage, I guess part of her left when he did.
It's the year that I lost friends, dear friends...or so I thought. Not in the physical sense. I mean lost them as in... they simply weren't there when I needed them most and haven't bothered to keep in touch since then.
However, the Lord was so good in the midst of it all. The bright spot of the year was that our firstborn daughter and her family moved only 20 minutes away from us, while they had previously lived a 8-hour drive away. We get to see them so much more now! :)
Adding up all the difficult things (and believe me, there are so many more things I could list) that happened this year, I can say without a doubt that it was the hardest year of my life. And I couldn't be happier - or more relieved - to say good-bye (or good riddance!) to 2014.
I know the Lord has a reason for it all, but on this side of eternity, it's hard to understand. I am hoping that it will all be made plain when I get Home.
Philippians 3:13 tells us that we should be "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead."
That's one Scripture verse I will gladly obey. ;)
May the Lord bless you beyond measure in the coming year.
P.S. To kick off the new year, I am announcing a Flexi giveaway on New Year's Eve. Stay tuned! :)
