Thank YOU

2015 is coming to an end.  Christmas is over.  We are starting to think about getting back into the routine next week.  I'm not sure I'm ready for routine again (have I told you before how much I LOVE to sleep in?!), but I am ready for a new calendar year.  I know that switching from the 31st to the 1st doesn't really change much, but sometimes you face a hard year (or series of years), and that calendar change can bring with it some added hope and promise.

2015 will long be remembered in our family as the year we had to make a decision we never expected, a year where we changed the trajectory of our family, and a year where we learned to cling to the Lord and to those who He used to carry us in ways we hadn't before.  With the unimaginable has come beauty, too.  So, though I am ready for the "new," I am thankful for the old.

One of my favorite things I've seen Him do this year is use completely unexpected people to comfort and bless us.  For months now, a friend who I don't know all that well has texted every so often just to check in and say something kind.  Another friend, who is facing his own share of personal stress and grief, has sent messages to Jeff and me just to say he's thinking of us and is here for us.  Two others who are friends from years ago sent messages at Christmas time just to say they were praying for us and that we were on their hearts.

I have seen my friends be my protectors in situations they knew were difficult for me.

I have opened envelopes to receive gift cards just because someone decided to bless us.

I have experienced the power of prayer yet again as people have lifted us up to the Lord.

I have seen the Body of Christ rally and choose to love us even when they don't understand.

It hasn't been all roses, as I've pointed out before.  We've had our share of heartache and pain, but I want to remember the whole picture as best as I can.  And the whole picture includes many beautiful people who have been Jesus to us.  So, thank you.  Thank you for carrying us through 2015.  In part because of you, we are not limping across the finish line.  We are still running.  We have our days where we stumble and fall and think we won't make it, but YOU are making it so much more manageable. 

Please don't ever think your text or call or smile or hug to someone doesn't matter.  I have seen God use those repeatedly this year, and they matter more than you know.  Thank you.  Keep being Jesus to those around you.  Even if they're hurting too much to say thank you, it is making a difference.  I, for one, have experienced it firsthand, and I am forever grateful.