Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I love New Year's Day! It's a chance for new beginnings! Today all my stress of the holidays are gone and I can find time to sit and think over my plans for the new year. Last night we had our traditional "Rockin' New Year's Eve " at my house. My sisters helped me make my pigs in the blanket (or cabbage rolls) with sauerkraut this year - and everything was going perfectly until 1 hour before the guests arrived. Then my sweet little Lexi began to complain of a stomach ache and soon she was throwing up - right in the middle of the party - so sad :-( Here's a picture of her at 12:15am - she had perked up by this time!We can plan perfectly for the new year - like I did for my party. We can make goals and resolutions but we must remember that there will be unexpected situations that will happen - like Lexi vomiting in the middle of a dinner party that I had been preparing for for days! Stuff happens - but we know that God is in control. Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Growth comes in learning to accept these bumps in the road.

I still had a great time with my family and my family had an intimate time of reflection on 2008 as we built a time capsule together. Below is a photo of mom putting in her wedding invitation from 40 years ago. This year my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary!My sister Kristen put in a page of her calendar showing a "day in the life of Kristen". On the calendar were the many baseball and soccer practices of her boys along with her ministry to urban children that she does a few days a week!

And my dad put in a photo of his Corvette which he sold this year and a photo of the house the entire extended family stayed in when we went to Colorado this summer to celebrate mom and dad's 40th wedding anniversary! Great memories!
Building a time capsule gives our family time to reflect on the past year and share about what God has done in our lives. We also had the opportunity to open one from 6 years ago and be reminded of what God was doing in our lives back then. There was a note in there from a grandmother who was not with us that made me cry. There was a note from my best friend in Texas - that warmed my heart. And a note in there from a church family that is now living a few cities away pastoring a church. What a great time of remembering loved ones who have gone into the New Year with us over the years and of God's faithfulness in our lives!

In the New Year - live well by drinking from the livingwell - that is Jesus. In John 6:35 Jesus said "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

Walk with the King!
Courtney
www.womenlivingwell.org