2024
December 2024
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Dear Family and Friends – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Our word for 2024 is trust. Life is a river. Sometimes it is peaceful and sometimes turbulent, but it almost always takes us where we are not expecting to go. I used to try to swim upstream or paddle furiously only to end up in the same place, albeit more tired.
We have faced several daunting rapids over the years. The worst part was the anticipation. Mark Twain observed, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, most of which never happened.” We can attest. 2024 has been a year of reflection and relief after repeatedly surviving what we thought would be “the end!”
As we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in a few weeks, we now see the importance of the providential waterfalls the river carried us over. And we are profoundly grateful for each one. The only regret is our attitudes as we approached the precipice. There is no benefit to worry, anxiety and complaining in life.
White-knuckling the seat on an airplane will not make us any safer (or happier!) than the guy sleeping across the aisle. It will not change the outcome, but it will steal our joy. Ironically, most of our unexpected “course corrections” are exactly what we needed to reengage joy in our lives.
Suffice it to say: We have learned to laugh at the dramatic threats that somehow the next ominous rapids ahead are different than the last 30. With confidence, we declare, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art with me.”
On to the kids! Charlie (17) is finalizing his college choice for next year as he is dual-enrolled at Kirkwood High and Meramec Community College. He and Ricky (15) are “bulking” and have gained about 25 pounds each in the last 4 weeks following Cross Country season. Ricky picked up electric guitar and discovered a love for music after the grind of 9 years of piano lessons. Eve (13), on the other hand, has crossed over into love for music during her piano tenure. I even joined her for a duet in her last recital.
Liam (11) has an engineer mind and is devouring 50-100 pages a day in fantasy adventure books. He and Solmon (9) have built cities of Legos. The younger three attend one day a week at a homeschool co-op and Sarah teaches them the other days. Parenting is hard but rewarding. We are savoring these sweet (and dwindling!) years with the kids.
May God richly bless you and make His face shine upon you this Christmas season and upcoming year…regardless of where the river bends.
With Much Love,
Randy for the Family.