Happy New Year!

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but I was thrilled to get the opportunity to stay home today! It has been hovering between 1-5 degrees F here with windchills 20 degrees lower than that. We were supposed to have a snow event here but thanks to the Omadome (it’s what the people in Omaha call the bubble over our city when weather goes right around us), it was just an inch or two of blowing snow. I spent the day doing laundry, writing out my goes in my 2022 planner and catching up on my blogging!

I have to admit that I am going to wait to see what the doctor tells me on Monday before I start really focusing on 2022 goals. However, I have decided to continue on at the YMCA, taking 5-6 classes a week as long as I am able. I am toying seriously with the idea of doing a P52 challenge…where you make a concerted effort to take at least one awesome photo a week. That would give me 52 great photos to put into a book at the end of the year.

I finished the Bible in a Year program I was doing with Father Mike Schmitz. I am proud of myself for making this a priority in my life this past year. It meant taking 30 minutes of my time each day and bringing my Bible along with me when I travelled. It blessed me in so many ways. I was literally ugly crying listening to the last podcast…even Father Mike was deeply moved. I belong to several FB groups of people who were participating in the program throughout the year and it was a common comment yesterday….the tears at the end. So….I am doing it again! I already have myself trained to do it and repetition can only help! I gave my parents a tabbed Great Adventure Bible along with the daily readings and some Bible pens and highlighters so they could do it this year as well. I would recommend this to anyone….I just enjoyed it so much.

Well, I don’t know what 2022 will bring for me. I hope that I will have continued stability in my disease and good health otherwise. If that is not what I get, I hope to have the ability to fight my battle with grace and dignity. I sure hope that 2022 brings us all some relief from the COVID pandemic and lets us return to normal…even if it may be a “new” normal. I miss hugging my friends. So many friends and family have had a tough 2021. I pray that they will find some peace and joy in 2022. There are a lot of people who come up and tell me that they have been praying for me daily. I can’t thank you all enough for keeping me covered in prayer. It humbles me to know so many people care. Many times it is hard to remember that when you are stuck alone at home all the time….or at least for the better part of the last 2+ years.

As this first day of this new year comes to a close, I hear my valiant husband out snowblowing our driveway so we can attend Mass in the Nebraskan deep freeze tomorrow. Tallinn is sitting at my feet looking at me with those expressive brown eyes (it’s past his dinner time), my Joe and his wife are spending an evening with their best friends down where they live in Lee’s Summitt, Tim is with his best friend in Phoenix relaxing and enjoying the day, Lily is in her room doing origami stars (she has over 4000 of them in a huge glass jar in her room), and the crockpot is cooking the roast beef, cooked carrots, and baby potatoes that is making the house smell delicious. What more could I ask for? I am so blessed. Let’s walk into 2022 together with happy, thankful hearts that are full of faith and love for our God, who will guide us to where we need to be this year. We just need to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to hear what He is telling us. Happy New Year, everyone. Love you!