Silent Night

Merry Christmas to All!

S - Silent Night! In grade school, I had to learn and sing “Silent Night” in German for the Christmas program. Since German was hard for me to learn and pronounce, and because I’m a horrible singer, the song was never one of my favorites. However, in recent years, as I’ve really pondered the words, the song has become beautiful to me. Christ’s birth was the most holy night ever because it ushered in the “dawn of redeeming grace”. Grace and truth come through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). May God’s grace be real to you each day.

I - II! Early in the year, I was asked to serve as president of P.E.O. Chapter II. Although a little hesitant at first to accept, I’m glad I did. The most rewarding part of the job is the opportunity to form deeper bonds with the women in the chapter.

L - Living Room! It only took seven years of staring at white walls for the living room to make it to the top of my painting list. It’s now a very pretty olive green color; I wonder how I stood it white for so long! At an antique store, I stumbled upon a beautiful stained glass window from an old building in downtown Chicago. Hanging the 20 lb. window on the living room wall was a bit of a challenge, especially since the studs are not where I needed them, but it’s been up for over a month and hasn’t fallen down yet!

E - Early Mornings! I’ve been swimming at 6 AM for several years now, but this summer, the practice start time changed to 5:30. Although very much a morning person, even I had a bit of a struggle adjusting to the earlier time. However, at the Big Shoulders 5K race in September, I swam my second best time ever for that event. The extra half hour of practice time must be paying off.

N - Novels! I have to confess that I was absorbed by the Twilight Saga books by Stephenie Meyer. I found the books extremely entertaining and thought provoking on many different levels. I also loved Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, Plainsong by Kent Haruf, and the true story of two unlikely friends in Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

T - Travels! I didn’t take any major trips this year but did make a short jaunt to St. Louis to visit a friend. My mom and I also spent a few days in California, celebrating my cousin’s college graduation and spending time with family.


N - Nightfall! My evenings are spent watching my favorite TV shows (Survivor and Project Runway top the list), discussing the Bible in my weekly study group, and trying not to spend too much time on Facebook.

I - Impossible! Is it possible that I graduated high school 15 years ago? A group of friends and I went to our 15 year high school reunion this summer. Although I had a much better time than I expected, I’m still thankful that high school is behind me!

G - Growth! No changes on the work front for me this year. I’m still in the IT department at Helzberg Diamonds. Thanks to this job, I’ve expanded both my knowledge of the retail industry and my technical skills.

H - Hiking! In September, I traveled to western Colorado to hike with 20 women from church. Due to snow and 50 to 60 MPH winds for the last hour and a half of the climb, summiting the mountain was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was a lesson in perseverance!

T - Teaching! God has been teaching me this year about trusting Him to act and not trying to take matters in to my own hands. He’s also been teaching me about closeness with Him and what changes I need to make in my life to achieve that.