Ecclesiastes says that there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…a time to gain, and a time to lose. God blessed us abundantly this year, but we experienced both times of joy and of sorrow in His good season and plan. Our family is growing up, and I cherish and value more than ever the time I have to be home with my three sisters who know me better than I know myself, with my two brothers who eagerly greet me in the driveway to find out about my day and help carry things in, and with my loving parents who keep me grounded and accountable.
Speaking of loving parents, Mama and Papa were able to go to the beach in February to celebrate their 26th anniversary. I’m so thankful for their loving example, a healthy year for Mama, and Papa’s continued employment as an engineer. Continuing as a preaching elder at Heritage Bible Church, Papa definitely stays busy!
We celebrated Susanna’s thirteenth birthday in April—it’s so hard to believe that she has grown up as much as she has. While I miss the three year-old, spunky toddler that she used to be, I love the close friend and confidante I have gained (and, for the record, she hasn’t lost any of that spunk either!). She continues to master piano and violin, and it’s my personal belief that she’s the most talented violinist among us, so expect great things! She also is growing into a supremely talented, gourmet cook whose criteria for a recipe is that it have no fewer than ten ingredients and no less than 200 words in the directions.
In June, we lost our dear “Bobcha” (a Polish pet name for our Great-Grandmother and Papa’s Grandma). She asked us once, “Why are you crying? I am going to heaven!” And she died with a smile on her face as she finally glimpsed Jesus for the first time—she was a true princess of the King.
June also brought excitement as Lauren and I received recognition (and then tens of thousands of new visitors) for our blog of almost two years from Blogger, one of the world’s top ten most visited websites. I received another amazing surprise because of my writing just a few weeks ago in November, when Focus on the Family let me know that my essay had beat out over 8000 other entries to win an all-expenses-paid trip for two (I chose Mama as my guest) to London for the World and Royal Premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie. With just a week’s notice, we left on November 28 for a fabulous seven days in England attending the premiere, visiting London’s sights, and even venturing to Paris for a day. Besides these exciting adventures, Lauren and I (we’re 20 now) continue with music teaching, performing, and our distance education for a degree in Music Ministry.
In September, our family took the trip of a lifetime with Sandi and Ron, making our way through nine states: over 3,000 miles in fifteen days with ten people. We oohed and aahed through Bryce and Zion Canyons in Utah and Disney Land in California. Of course, the feature presentation of the trip was the Grand Canyon—tears came to my eyes when I first saw it, with the majesty and splendor perfectly representing a time to lose (the catastrophic worldwide flood God sent to judge the world) and a time to gain (the beautiful, glorious, unimaginably large canyon spread before us as the result of the flood). All but the wives hiked down to the bottom for the night in an epic, this-is-the-hardest-thing-I’ve-ever-done-in-my-life-and-whose-idea-was-this-again 36 hour trek.
Since then, Melanie has begun her senior year of high school, and I can’t wait to see how God uses her seventeen year-old pursuits of piano, computers (she’s designing a website for our church right now!), and all things science for years to come. I know that He has great plans for her and the talents He’s given her!
Micah is now eleven, and Jonah is eight, and they bunk together, “spar” playfully with swords together, and raise chickens together. Both love to read and to make music. In his fifth year of cello, Micah is becoming quite proficient, and we love to play quintets together with the oldest five. Jonah will be joining us soon, too—he’s been playing violin for a year and a half, and for the past few weeks has treated us to many Christmas carols he’s picked up by ear.
Everyone has been remarking how fast this year seems to have gone—but when I reflect back on the past 12 months, for the first time in a long time I don’t have that sensation. Instead, I am overwhelmed at all God had for us this year, and amazed that it all dovetailed so perfectly (He is certainly the consummate Planner). We have matured, grown, aged, added more wear-and-tear on these temporary homes (bodies) of ours—and then occasionally we just revert back to 8 overgrown children dog-piling on one another. God’s Plan has certainly been the best plan, and I frequently marvel at His incredible love and sacrifice that comes into full relief at Christmas time. How incredible is it that His Son willingly came to earth to become the sacrifice for my sins and your sins that the Law required and that we could never hope to satisfy? What a plan!
Mikaela, thank you for the "year-in-review" of your family's journey through 2010. I shake my head in amazement at how everyone is older (at least by a year!), especially when I remember teaching some of your siblings in toddler's church and S.S. It seems it wasn't that long ago. :)
ReplyDeleteI was blessed to read of how God blessed you last year, and carried you through the difficult times, too.
Just so you know, One Bright Corner has been a great blessing and encouragement to me this year!
God bless you and Lauren for your faithfulness to this ministry!