It's a Whole New Year! (soon anyway)

As I sit here with my "Mee-Mee's Sippy Cup" filled with something very sweet, I am reflecting on 2012 and days prior. It was ten years ago this past weekend that we signed the lease on our rental house and I moved back to Virginia from the wilds of western Maryland. Ten years. I have missed some of the interaction I had ten years ago. I miss Brenda Harvey at the Westmarva District Office. She was and still is a great friend. I miss the Amish friends we had there, especially the Alfred Yoder family that I understand have now moved on to Ohio. I miss some of the Yahoo Groups I was involved with back then too. There was one called, "The Way" and someone on that group made us all ornaments for our Christmas trees. I still hang those eggshells on my tree every year. Other Yahoo Groups helped me to grow in my faith and I miss them more than they can know. I tried other groups over the last years, but none stand in the shadow of those of the early years of internet. But, today, hubby and I spent some quality time together and talked about how this was "home" and the best place and most homey place "I" have lived in my adult life. Hubby agreed that this is just a tad above West Virginia where he was very happy. Putting the Mt. Pleasant area the best place ever. Without Carol B. I would have been miserable in WV I think. He says, I wasn't the same after the "break up" between us and another family, and was ready to leave WV after that. He is right. So that means these last ten years have been some of the most meaningful in my Christian life. Wow! Not sure what all that means. HAHA~ Either I was very, very pitiful, or this is really a great place. LOL! Well, let's review these last ten years. In the last ten years I have lived in four houses. My youngest son has married and my oldest has had another child, as has our youngest daughter. Number five is on the way. Imagine... me a grandmother of five. In ten years I have lost most of the pigment in my hair. It is now more gray than brown. I have also developed wonderful "Hillary Clinton" jowls. That I could do without. In the last ten years I have reconnected with the old home town that I left nearly forty years ago and people I left there. I lost a very close friend to the "Big C" which still has my head spinning. She was ten years younger than I and I miss her like a part of me was cut out. I know she is waiting by "the River" for me. She promised. After 15 years of "no jewelry", I put my wedding ring back on and added Mom's rings and a ring of remembrance of my dear buddy Katie Dunkard :) Mom went home to Heaven. I still miss her and think to call her every now and then. Her leaving us changed the very center of our lives. I also have made a number of trips to Haiti in the last ten years. And I am ordained in the COB and serve the church as Henry's associate. That's an accomplishment. So much has changed. What hasn't? Well, I still wear the covering and while I don't wear cape dresses much anymore, I still dress pretty plain. I am still opinionated and love to laugh! That much will probably never change. So, what now? Well, 2013 looms withing the next 7 hours or so. Who knows what the year will bring? We leave for another trip to Haiti in just 14 days and some hours. And then the list gets long as the usual stuff continues. In August things may change drastically for this house. It will, once again, brighten with the laughter of another baby. My thoughts are quite occupied these days with the thought of car seats and fairy tales. I already have an ABC book in my Amazon wishlist. I will no doubt drive my poor daughter in law crazy before August even arrives. She is a very private person, God bless her, and I'm a "shout it from the rooftops" kinda girl. It's just the excitement of it all. I love having grandchildren. I can look back and remember Luke's birth like it was yesterday. I have a strong feeling that this one will be similar. I hope poor Julie has a sympathy on her poor mother and me. So, yes, I look forward to 2013 as another chapter of life opens. My 58th year. We enter into year 11 at Mt. Pleasant. Probably the longest pastorate they have ever had. That makes me smile. Those people at Mt. P drive us crazy from time to time, but yet we love them like family... which they are... warts and all. Because, really, they (well most of them) love us, our warts and all too. Merry, happy, blessed and wonderful 2013 everyone!