A Week of Rest, Reflection, and Renewing

There is much to be thankful for in life. As I enjoyed time with my family and friends this week I am reminded that in the midst of life and its happenings, there are ALWAYS positives in all situations and Psalm 23 reminds us every struggle is only a valley to go THROUGH!

"Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me."
Psalm 23:4 NIV

Last year we didn't put up a Christmas tree or even decorate the house. Do you remember the four inch metallic tree next to the Scentsy I posted? Yep, that was it. Well this year we inherited my parent's three-foot, already lit, artificial tree. It was the perfect thing to ignite some Christmas spirit in the house. We even took all the boxes out of the attic and decorated. It was a special holiday of new traditions interwoven with those of past years.

A week before our daughter returned home from college, she fell on campus. A swollen ankle developed into a trip to Urgent Care and then the orthopedic, and next week she has the chance to meet an orthopedic surgeon specializing in ankle fractures. Her attitude has been positive and fun so her first gift of Christmas was twelve rolls of assorted colored ace bandages. I "had to" wrap her ankle in red and green for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She went along with it.

I also took advantage of "free time" to finish a few crochet projects, organize and put away the piles around the house, and enjoy "sharpening my saw" looking through magazines, articles, books, and quilt patterns. Our daughter's cat seemed to like me taking time to pause and snuggled up on my lap, even posing for the selfie.

We didn't travel. We didn't get together with friends or spend a lot of time shopping or doing BUT WE DID ENJOY OUR TIME together and reconnecting with each other, and God. A blessed time for sure.

How did you spend this week?