2013 Blessings

2013 - our year of calm times and abundant blessings from the Lord. When I first thought of writing my “year end blog,” I thought it would be boring because nothing “big” really happened. No big moves, no new babies, no hospital stays, no weddings to be in. (that was all last year see here--Ebeneezer of 2012.) But you know what, I am so thankful for this “boring” year! We've had a whirlwind of life change in the short 3 years we've been married and finally we have a year of rest. Our “Sabbath” year if you will.

Yet I still want to sit back and remember this past year and all the blessings from God. Psalm 78:4 says to “tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done.” So I write this blog not only for me, not only for you reading this, but also that my kids can read it someday and see the “glorious deeds of the Lord” that occurred when they were just small children.

BLESSINGS of 2013:

Growing in faith, peace, and trust of the Lord and understanding my role as His chosen and beloved one. Brodie and my desire now is to focus on deepening our prayer life.

A strengthened marriage through a renewed love and commitment to one another and to God. We sought out a seasoned couple from our church who gave us biblical marriage advice and some practical means to fulfill it.

The First Steps and First Words of my not-so-preemie baby boy. His easy going and silly personality is such a blessing. God kept his body healthy and strong during the critical months of RSV season and his growth has caught up to other kids his age. He eats more than anyone in the house, especially scrambled eggs.

S’s love for the things of God. He loves going to church, reading through his toddler Bible, and Singing Praise Songs. His favorites are “This Little Light” and “Oh how I love Jesus.” His character is being built up each day as he learns (sometimes reluctantly) obedience to Mom and Dad and kindness toward his brother.

A blossoming friendship between our two boys. They make each other giggle. They make each other cry. But their relationship is so precious and edifies each one of them. Every time I catch one of them sharing with the other, I do a little Victory Dance

Our church family. Growing in wisdom through wonderful sermons and teaching. Spending time with our small group. Receiving encouragement in reading the Word through a Women’s Bible Study. My Mom’s group has given me a sense of community through motherhood.

New Friendships with other Mommies was a great source of encouragement for me. We've enjoyed countless playdates to local parks, the science museum, the mall playground just to name a few. We've also enjoyed friendships through our weekly toddler music class!

Love for Missions kindled this summer by teaching 1^st graders about God’s love for the world. We also heard many missionaries share their stories about their work from USA to the ends of the earth. And this year Brodie traveled to East Asia on his first “Business as Missions” trip. Brodie is in awe of God's working in that country for many many centuries.

Financial peace in God’s amazing provisions. He provided a new mini mini van, a condo that finally sold, and some surprising financial blessings from other sources. We learned valuable lessons on managing these gifts through Dave Ramseys, “Financial Peace” class. God blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. We’ve found great joy this year in giving to others.

A steady year at work for Brodie was packed full of lessons learned. It was a year of professional growth for Brodie as he continues to learn more about the leadership side of engineering. We are thankful for shorter hours worked this year and for deepening friendships with his co-workers.

Staying “professionally developed.” In an effort to keep my teacher certification, I attended multiple classes for continuing education credit. Brodie supports me by taking care of the kiddos while I go and use my brain with the grown-ups!

Time in Dallas with our extended family and old friends. Our trips to the other side of town have become much less frequent but we still enjoy coming for special celebrations to keep in touch with everyone. Sam's especially enjoyed spending time with 2 year old cousin Declan.

Comfort for the Heflin Side of the Family. This year was marked by the deaths of two very dear family friends of Brodie's family. Tante Corrie and Grandpa Harry were like family to the Heflins and were cared for by the Heflins. God's hand was on all the details and His comfort available to all who mourned the losses.

Little Trips to get away. We cabin-camped with some of my college roommates and their growing families. Then we road tripped to San Angelo to visit Brodie’s aunt, uncle and their airplane. Of course, each trip included a chance to stretch our legs at a park, zoo or pumpkin patch!