2010 was a year of great change in our lives ...
Below is our attempt [yes, this post has Jim's approval, and was in fact his idea] at a less sanitized version of what really happened in 2010. Enjoy! (The "real" Christmas letter is below this one.)
2010 was a year of great change here in our house. Meals are now eaten on dishes. Beds are slept on with sheets. Sheets are washed more than a couple times a year. The couch is no longer the sleeping location of choice.
The Great Dirty Dish Scavenger Hunt of 2010 ended in December, when the final box of dirty dishes was found in the basement. Now the silverware drawer is full again, and all unaccounted-for dishes have returned to the kitchen. Our mother and sister-in-law also have full cabinets again, now that their dishes have been returned to them as well.
The old stereos and computers were kicked out of the linen closet, and it now holds ... linens! The folding church table is out of the dining room, and a real 10-piece dining set has taken over. The ancient orange chair, which has belonged to various family members over the years, is looking for a new home, as we await the on-order recliner.
For the first time in five years, there is a working dishwasher and a working hot water heater. As a bonus, a (working) water softener was installed at the same time.
The pantry no longer holds four shelves of snacks and candy, but three shelves of good-for-you food. The freezer is no longer filled with frozen dinners. And, the kitchen drawers no longer double as a filing cabinet.
Yes, 2010 was a year of great change in our house, but 2010 was a year of even greater changes in our home. God, the Master Scriptwriter, has created this home out of two older, independent, and dare we say stubborn individuals, two sinners who are experiencing His grace daily as He draws us closer to Himself and to each other. Our prayer is that He use our home for His purposes both in us and through us.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
The Great Dirty Dish Scavenger Hunt of 2010 ended in December, when the final box of dirty dishes was found in the basement. Now the silverware drawer is full again, and all unaccounted-for dishes have returned to the kitchen. Our mother and sister-in-law also have full cabinets again, now that their dishes have been returned to them as well.
The old stereos and computers were kicked out of the linen closet, and it now holds ... linens! The folding church table is out of the dining room, and a real 10-piece dining set has taken over. The ancient orange chair, which has belonged to various family members over the years, is looking for a new home, as we await the on-order recliner.
For the first time in five years, there is a working dishwasher and a working hot water heater. As a bonus, a (working) water softener was installed at the same time.
The pantry no longer holds four shelves of snacks and candy, but three shelves of good-for-you food. The freezer is no longer filled with frozen dinners. And, the kitchen drawers no longer double as a filing cabinet.
Yes, 2010 was a year of great change in our house, but 2010 was a year of even greater changes in our home. God, the Master Scriptwriter, has created this home out of two older, independent, and dare we say stubborn individuals, two sinners who are experiencing His grace daily as He draws us closer to Himself and to each other. Our prayer is that He use our home for His purposes both in us and through us.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
The brief (sanitized) letter that made it into some of our cards:
2010 was a year of great change in our lives … becoming engaged, J’s trip to Japan to say “good-byes” and pack up, her resignation from [the mission board], our wedding, adjusting to married life, an early harvest (after last year’s record-late harvest), and making our house a home. God has been good throughout all the transitions.
We are thankful for the Lord’s blessings in our lives, including you who generously prayed and gave to the Lord during J’s 16-year span in Japan.
In our ever-changing world, we are thankful that the Babe whose birth we celebrate is the unchanging King of kings and Lord of lords. We pray 2011 will be a year of knowing His faithfulness and rule in our hearts more and more.
2 comments:
Sounds like Jim really needed a help-mate.
LOVE IT!! Both Jim's letter and yours. God has indeed made a lot of changes for both of you in 2010. May you continue to see God's hand in the "changes" of your lives in 2011!
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