As a way of introduction to us and our year Christmas Letter 2017
It is funny how your perspective changes. How one event
changes how you look at the things that happen.
We had a good first six months to our year. I got a new
nephew, Liam was born January 6th. He had some struggles at first
but is now healthy and happy. We took the girls to Florida in April for Spring
Break. Justin and I planned for months. The girls were thrilled. We had such a
great time spending three days at Disney, one day at Universal, one day
swimming and shopping and one day at the ocean. It was amazing and exhausting.
Justin’s parents joined us for the trip and it was filled with memories and
fun.
You know before this summer our lives were rather mundane. I
had a job that provided well for our family, Justin had a job that he enjoyed
and where he was appreciated as a journalist. Sydney was a fourteen-year-old
finishing 8th grade and thinking about high school. Macy was a
twelve-year-old finishing 6th grade and thinking about starting
middle school. Chloe was a six-year-old finishing kindergarten and planning
having fun with her cousins in Kansas. The big girls were looking forward to a
summer of relaxing and sleeping in and not doing homework.
Then we went to Harvest in Kansas and everything changed. I
have believed in God for as long as I can remember, and I have drawn closer to him
over the last four years. But this summer challenged every assumption and thing
I knew. That moment when we lost Justin on June 27th was shattering,
devastating, and hard. We lost every thing we had and every thing we thought we
would have. But in that moment when we cried out to God in our despair, at the
lowest point we have ever been, he answered. He picked us up in our time of
loss and he held us tight. He comforted us. He provided for us. He sent people
to be his hands and feet; people who brought us food, gave us money, mowed our
lawn, cleaned our house, took the girls to the zoo, sky zone, swimming and
movies, prayed for us and checked on how we were doing. I have never in my life
felt God working in me and through me the way he has the last five months.
It has been hard but we have learned and grown. In addition
to losing Justin my Mom’s family also lost my Grandma Crystal a few short weeks
before her 98th birthday and I also dealt with some health issues
that were scary but resolved quickly. We are walking into the darkness hoping
that we will get closer to the light. Our church is surrounding us. Our
families have been amazing. Our friends have been astounding. They have done so
much for us. It is times like these that show the real heart of people.
Sydney started her freshmen year of high school. She is
doing well at school and working hard at dance. She recently helped with the
school play. She has been an amazing help to me. Macy started her first year of
middle school. She is enjoying her friends and playing the clarinet in band.
She has been staying after school for makers club and has loved that. Chloe has
been doing great in first grade. She has an amazing teacher and lots of
friends. She has gotten to have both sets of her grandparents come to her class
and read books.
I started a new job about 4 weeks ago at Grace College. I am
working in the Marketing Department as an office manager and it has been a
blessed changed. It has been a gift of time and reduced stress. It has been a Godsend.
My prayer for all of you this Christmas season is that you
would hold your family close; that you would remember to cherish every moment,
the good, the bad, and the mediocre.
We are doing our best and missing Justin always.
Merry Christmas
Crystal, Sydney, Macy and Chloe
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