I pray that everyone had a fantastic Christmas! We traveled and saw friends and family. We had a great time, but it sure is nice to be home. I am still finalizing details for this website (along with doing lesson plans and planning RCIA, Baptism, and youth ministry meetings). For now, why don't we share something that touched us over the holiday season?
All of our family lives in the epicenter of the H1N1 epidemic, so we were a tad weary about going there and possibly exposing ourselves to something ugly. But we persevered and had a wonderful time. As I continuously prayed for our good health, I was constantly reminded of Joshua 1:9..."I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go." I struggle with anxiety and felt like I was heading right into the lion's den. But, as usual, the more I prayed, the calmer I felt. God never fails to show me his enduring mercy and love.
We were also able to celebrate the new year with my older sister. It was one year ago on December 30 that she had a massive stroke. The doctors held no hope and eventually asked us to make some heart-wrenching decisions. But our family and friends began praying for Fr. Emil Kapaun's intercession on her behalf. If you haven't read his story, please run to www.frkapaun.org and delve right in! Within a few hours, she was giving us a thumbs up and nodding her head. The doctors are still baffled by her recovery. She still has some paralysis on her left side, but all her faculties are there. It was such a blessing being able to spend the afternoon at her house, surrounded by family, knowing that God had truly provided a miracle to us this past year.
I pray that the new year has been good to you, thus far. And I pray that God will continue to bless our families, our communities, and our country throughout 2014.
That is an amazing story! I'm so glad that your sister is doing well.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the thing that touched me the most about this Christmas season was my son's continued joy and enthusiasm about so many aspects of it, including his growing faith. He is trying to sort out the whole Santa thing, and we've been telling him about St. Nicholas and explaining that many of the Santa traditions are pretend. One day he asked me if God was pretend. This upset me initially, but when I stepped back I recognized it as a good thing. The fact that he's thinking about it and is willing to ask me about it and then listen to my explanation means a lot.
My family really enjoyed seeing my husband's sister whom we only get to see a couple times a year and my brother and his family. We had not seen them for a couple of years. We are on opposite sides of the political spectrum and is always hard - but they mage a great effort to be great hosts and we had a wonderful time with them and my parents.
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