Yesterday was my birthday.
I am now 54 years old.
Dang ……. I can’t believe I’m that old.
What a year from 53 to 54 it has been.
Today, our pastor spoke of writing a journal and how the journal will show each and every time how God is showing up in our lives. When the ugly shows up and you wonder where all the good is, you can open up the journal and look back and see clearly that He’s been there the whole time. That’s a big part of why I blog. I can look back and see very clearly:
How I was doing?
How I was feeling?
How did I spend my time?
Who did I spend my time with?
Last year in December and on my birthday, my friends took me to breakfast
Last year in December we took Jack’s first Christmas pictures
Last year on Christmas Eve the whole family attended Christmas Eve at the Farm
Last year on December 30 my Daddy met Jesus.
In January I cried a thousand tears as we had memorial services for Dad. One in Florida and Mom and I flew to Ohio to have a service for family up north
I almost froze to death
Later in the month we saw Jen Hatmaker
In February we celebrated 33 years together
And Jack took swimming lessons
And evidently I needed a vacation…..badly
My baby girl turned 32 and Uncle Kyle made us laugh
In March, my tribe was reunited in a big way
And I started my first book club!
In April we attended Easter gathering together 
The pool began and I picked out all the goodies that go along with it
The attic stairs were finally finished
May was full of fun with the girls
And Jack William Wissinger had his first birthday
May brought Mothers Day and blueberry picking
June was filled with game nights
The vegetable garden
The splash pad
Father’s Day 
And Mom and I began to volunteer at the Interfaith Thrift Store
July included
Fishing!!!
A weekend getaway
The pool continued
And some sweet time with friends
August brought family to town!
House scraping….. again 
Water in the pool
A sweet gift and a reminder from my tribe
The pool house started
In September, I got this cute picture
Our family was featured in the Ocala magazine
I planted a butterfly garden
I laughed
And I spent time with amazing people
I encouraged myself
Halloween was fun!
In November
We went to the zoo
I had the privilege to vote
We celebrated BIG
And December is here again
3G Sunday!
I’m an Uber driver this month and we celebrated St Nicolas Day
I know this was long and some might not have made it to the end.
This was a test for me. As December has now became a really hard month as we now celebrate Dad’s graduation to heaven.
That’s right I said celebrate. It’s been a long hard year and I’ve watched my family grieve. But I’ve also watched my family celebrate victories and laugh. I’ve watched them rally hard. I’ve watched them pick themselves up and have a day when it would have been easier to stay in bed and pull the covers up.
I’ve spent this year, at age 53, struggling to be happy sometimes. But I can look back at the photos and the memories and see smiles and laughter and remember that God is so good. He fills my life with so much joy. So many good friends and I lead an amazing life.
Here’s to 53.
I’m ready for you 54.
