Closing the Door on November

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Shockingly, it's already the final day of November, and the holiday season is in full swing. We're pressing pause on the busyness tonight to put up the Christmas tree, wrap a few presents, make our annual batch of chex mix and watch a cheesy Christmas movie (special occasion alert because holiday movies are not really my thing). Tomorrow kicks off 3 straight weekends chock full of school and church holiday events. I'm keeping my eyes firmly set on December 17 - my last day of work for the year - in front of me.

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A quick recap of the last 2-3 weeks:

A surprise birthday celebration (#43 for me) went awry when my mom took a bad fall and tore her rotator cuff (she's in surgery as I write this). A girl's night out turned into a family event after mom's injury and Liz's knee surgery. Dinner at Grilled Cheeserie and The Little Mermaid at Nashville Children's Theater made for a sweet time together.

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Work took me to Orlando the week before Thanksgiving. The resort was incredible and the weather was beautiful. Working the entire time felt like such a waste although our environment certainly made the 3 days worth of meetings a lot more tolerable!

The view from my own personal balcony was amazing.
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Becky and the boys visited for a short 2 days before Thanksgiving and then we left them behind and traveled to east Tennessee to spend the holiday with Brian's family. His grandmother was in the hospital and declining rapidly so it was a bittersweet trip. We drove to Virginia the day after Thanksgiving for a quick 90th birthday meal with Brian's Granny June. On my side of the family, Camden's king of the cousins. But when we're with Brian's family, the girls rule. There was much giggling and several sing-alongs. I did my first Thanksgiving/Black Friday shopping in several years and vowed never to do it again. 

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Parenting a middle schooler and high schooler continues to keep us so busy. If we're not at basketball games/practice or youth events, we're driving to and from said events. Camden is having fun as the veteran of the JV team, and it's certainly more fun to watch your kid play than to watch him sit the bench (I'm certain that cycle will begin all over again if he plays Varsity next year).

Pastoring a church (and being the pastor's wife and family) continues to stretch us all. Still learning our place, learning where the best yes's are and how to prioritize our time. After nearly 6 months in his new role, Brian would choose it all over again, and we continue to be amazed at how the Lord worked out this whole situation.

Which bring us to today: my mom is in surgery, Liz is recovering from her own surgery, work is hectic, kids are changing and maturing, loved ones are living through incredible challenges. And the only thing to do is keep putting one step in front of the other, keep being intentional in the joy and gratitude and contentment department. Focus on the good, learn from the hard. Say I love you and I forgive you. Look at each new day as the clean slate that it is.

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Have a great weekend, friends.

Comments

christine@modernlittleme said…
Oh friend, we sound like we are in very similar places!! I loved this post. Your last paragraph left me teary in the best way, and so very thankful you are my friend.

Sending hopes of health and peace to your whole family!
9:11 AM
mcgowan moments said…
Hope your mom is doing well. So sorry to hear about her fall. Miss you guys!!!
12:42 PM
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