Recapping 2021 Blessings

 Ringing out the year.  How are you doing it?  New Year's Eve party?  Staying home cuddled up in blankets watching the ball drop in London so you can go to bed early?

One way I want to celebrate saying 'bye to 2021 is to reflect on the blessings from this past year.  Willows' Week Year with Friday Fave Fives.

1.  Our family has survived the big bad virus.  Some of us have had it, but we are all ok.  Right now, we are home because The Professor tested positive with very mild symptoms, but we don't want to expose anyone else.

2.  This year, The Professor and I have made progress on making our house our home.  Projects have been putting on a new roof, building a pergola on our back patio, removing the above ground pool and prepping the area for a new use (coming in 2022), installing a fence around our back area, establishing a vegetable and herb garden area.

3.  We have spent every holiday with our family and celebrated every birthday.  For us, this is the reason we moved 2,400 miles across the US in 2020.

4.  We've been sinking our roots in to the community, getting to know people and places.

5.  My love of knitting continues.  I've created baby sweaters and hats for two new little ones in our new circle of friends.  I've made a couple of warm blankets to add to the stash here at home.  My favorite project, though, was the vest I knitted for a friend, the couple we call our coffee buddies because we try to meet every week for coffee and conversation somewhere in the county.

On to 2022 and new adventures!  Happy New Year, friends!

December Wrapping Up

The fourth week of Advent happened.  PEACE.

And then so did Christmas!

Where did the time go?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Was yours white?  Ours wasn't, but I have enjoyed the snowy photos my sister-in-law in Oregon has shared with me.

Now it is that week between Christmas and New Years when we pause, take a breath, and eat all the leftover cookies.

Third Friday in December

Happy Friday!  And Happy Fave Fives Day!  Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?  I am pausing and taking a deep breath to focus my attention on the blessings of this past week.  Here are just Five.  (Friday Fave Fives link.)

1.   Third week of Advent.  Joy.

2.  An older missionary colleague asked me about photos I might have of the national missionaries we worked with in our tribal area.  She and her husband had been mentors and teachers to the Hatam pastors before sending them to the Moskona tribe where we were assigned a couple of years later.  I have scanned many of the photos and was able to send them on to her.  Here are three of the Hatam missionaries praying for a newly appointed Moskona church leader.  These men (Bahar, Pete, and Abner) were mentored and then passed on their learning to others.

3.  Browsing the pictures brought back so many wonderful memories-- my younger son and his friend Simson (the son of one of the Hatam missionaries).

Our first village, Meyokda

Wow, this picture brings back memories!  Our Christmas card!

Yes, we are sitting in front of a MAF helicopter--our only means of transportation in and out of our village.

4.  Christmas cards and letters have been arriving in the mailbox!  I love receiving and sending those greetings and updates.

5.  Is it true that it isn't really Christmas until you post a picture of your Christmas tree?  Just in case, here is our tree this year.  Just lights.  No ornaments.  We looked at the tree and decided we liked it the way it is.  (the fave?  super easy)

May you continue to have a JOYous December!

Second Friday of December

Friday Fave Fives coming to you from Willow's Week here at my cottage.

 1.  Second week of Advent.  Peace.

2.  I am recovering quickly from the surgery and no longer need to wear a bandage on my face.  AND the Harry Potter scar is uncovered and noticeable.  (This is the fun part:  "What happened?"  "Voldemort attacked me, but fortunately he was a terrible shot.")

3.  Warm home.  We have had some frigid days and nights this past week.  Every time I walk into the house, I think how blessed I am to have a warm and safe sanctuary.

4.  Cook stove.  On that same theme, I am thankful to be blessed with stove and oven to use for cooking and even heating water to make tea.  Sometimes, I take things like that for granted.

5.Availability.  One of my daughters has needed lots of driving help this week.  I am thankful we can provide that help.  We are healthy and capable to drive.  We have a car.  This is why we moved here.

This week it seems that most of my faves are 'mundane' items.   But maybe the best blessings are the mundane, the simple blessings of the week.

First Friday in December

It's December!  It's Advent!  It's almost Christmas!  It's also Friday and time for Friday Fave Fives with Susanne from Living To Tell the Story.  I love the stories we tell on Fridays--the blessings of the week. 

1.  Christmas stockings.  It may be preliminary to open our Christmas stockings the day after Thanksgiving, but since the New Mexico and Arizona families were leaving that afternoon, we decided we wanted the fun and atmosphere of Christmas to be the final fun for the week.  The children received snow globes, and the adults scored gift cards. 

2.  On Monday, I had a small bit of basal cell skin cancer removed from the bridge of my nose.  Don't panic or worry--it was small, the doctor removed it all, and this type of cancer is not aggressive.  People with light skin and blue eyes (me!) often have these spots removed.  Add to my genetic makeup the fact I spent a decade living at the equator and two decades living in sunny SoCal, I am a prime candidate.  Right now, I look like I was in a fist fight (but you should see the other guy!) and I may have a small Harry Potter style scar for awhile which greatly impressed the grandkids.

3.  Since my activity is limited for a week, The Professor has been taking fine care of me.

4.  Younger daughter has been changing the dressings on the wound.  Since she is in nursing school, this is right in her bailiwick.  Actually, it has been fun.  "Oh, the swelling is down."  "You are healing fast, Mom."  "The doctor did a great job with those stitches."  "How many times did you ice it today?"

5.  First Sunday of Advent.  I love celebrating Advent!  This week is HOPE.

Happy December!  Happy Advent!  HOPE!