HAPPY NEW YEAR!

   Before this day is over, I wanted to do my first blog post of the new year. It seems like this is the time everyone reflects over the past year and makes plans for the coming year.
   Last year was a roller coaster kind of year for me. I had a blast celebrating my 50th birthday with a trip on Route 66. I got ready to celebrate being 5 years cancer free from breast cancer. Got diagnosed with leukemia. JOY became my word! God proved Himself faithful over and over. Family, friends, and my healthcare team cared for me and loved me through some not-so-fun times.Had a four week stay in the hospital. Blogging helped me work through a lot of emotions. I had an article featured in Heart Magazine, an online Christian woman's magazine. Started a second round of arsenic. Enjoyed Christmas with family and friends. (For more details, you can check out my previous posts.)
   This year my word seems to be HOPE. A few weeks ago during my weekly Bible study, I got a new perspective on HOPE (see previous post). Since then, HOPE has been showing up a lot. My sis shared the following quote by Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 225 AD prolific Christian author)- "Hope is patience with the lamp lit." Jeremiah 29:11-13 has crossed my path several times.  Because I see HOPE as a "sure thing" instead of "wishful thinking," I am more encouraged and assured of my place in God's hands. 
   I enjoyed bringing in the new year with family and friends. Today was my first official day of retirement from 28 years of teaching. I will go to day 5 of round 2 of chemo tomorrow, even though I would rather be lying in a hammock on a beach in Belize. I will be tired and take lots of naps. I will continue to be blessed by family and friends who love me well. God will continue to be faithful and my HOPE will be in His love for me!

From Last Year...Still True

Jesus is the Alpha, the Omega and the Nu
From Asbury Tidings, January 2010:

William D. Watley, Senior Pastor at the St. James Aftican Methodist Church, provides encouragement in the realization and truth of Jesus as the ultimate connection:

"You are connected to somebody who is not only the Alpha and Omega, but the Nu as well. Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet; nu is the middle letter. Thus, Jesus is not only the somebody who will be with us in the beginning, when we're born and at the end when death comes. He abides with us in all that is between...in the middle. In the middle, when temptation comes to turn us around. In the middle, when Satan attacks to dismantle and destroy. In the middle, when friends become few. In the middle, when resources run short. In the middle, when the unexpected shakes the foundations of our lives. In the middle, when relationships are severed. Yes, in the middle. Therefore, we can continue to abide in Jesus. He is sufficient for whatever comes between our beginning and our ending."

Wow...What a great reminder of who Christ is and that in the things I can't handle (which are a bunch) we...Jesus and I...can handle together. Starting the New Year with promise!

A New Year and a New Adventure

   For quite some time now, I've been saying that I would start a blog.  Encouraged by my sister, I set the launch date for January 1st. I have a few ideas about things I want to share: Mission Memories, Thoughts About Life in General, Book Reviews, Marvelous Music, etc.  Although I post quite often on FaceBook, I'm a bit leary of keeping up with a blog.  Although my posts may be sporatic, I will try to keep up and look forward to this new adventure!