My Review of 2014.....

There are some years in our lives that are "milestone" years.  During those years, something or things happen that are major milestones that can either enrich and change for the better the course of lives forever, or can impact our lives in such a profound way, that we ourselves are changed forever - whether for good or bad.  Examples of these years are the year you were born, the year you become a Christian, the year you graduate high school or college, the year you marry, the year(s) your children are born......you get the idea....  I think if God could talk directly to us (which he does through the Bible), He would tell us that every year, month, day, hour, minute, second is a milestone - because we are either using it to do something to glorify Him or we are wasting it on something nowhere close in importance....this takes work, concentration, study and a purpose, but are exactly what Paul means when he says we are to "daily renew our minds" in Romans 12:2.

The year 2014 did not get off to a good start for our family.  Right from the beginning, we knew our precious Jeannie was not going to make it through this year.  She had ended 2013 and started 2014 in hospice.  After 21 brave years of fighting this monsterous disease called severe gastroparesis, we finally had to accept that the disease had won.  It would take her body before the year 2014 was over.  So, this would definitely be a very big milestone year in our lives, her husband's life, her extended family's lives and her friends lives.  If love could keep someone alive, Jeannie would have lived forever.  But even abundant love cannot stop death, so we knew it would come....we just didn't know when.  Jeannie herself was ready - or rather, as ready as one can make themselves to face death.  She had given us her wishes of how she wanted everything carried out and we had made promises that we would do as she asked, no matter how hard it became before it was over.  I don't say this just because she was my daughter, but she was one of the most compassionate, kindest, sweetest, most loving, most forgiving and thus most extraordinary person I have ever known.  God gave her that......we didn't have anything to do with it.  It all just seemed so unfair.......But fairness is not a word you use when you look at the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for each of us in order to give us eternal life.  Death came in June.  It was hard....much harder than I had imagined......I thought I was prepared, but have since learned there is no such thing as preparation to never see your loved one again on this side of heaven.  You keep expecting them to walk through the door with that bouncy personality, that unforgettable laugh, that beautiful face, that unbreakable spirit...........it changed me......it changed me forever.  I did not lose my faith, my relationship with God, my desire to continue serving Him all the days of my life.....but it did give me a greater respect for the brevity of our time on earth and the preciousness of each moment together.  Yes, this was definitely a milestone year.......one that will live forever.....the year we lost our precious baby girl of 36 years..

Then on top of that loss, two months later, I lost my sister, Dee.  My sister, who had been more like my mother all my life, lost her life to heart disease.  Mentally, I had lost her years before, when vascular dementia took her away into it's cruel world of confusion, forgetfulness, hallucinations and hauntings.  She was alive physically, but there had been no real quality of life for years before.  The death of the physical being I think to me was much less painful than the death of the mental being had been.  When she stopped knowing who I was when I called to talk, it had broken my heart.  That was when the real loss had come.  When I spoke at her memorial service, I tried to do justice to a remarkable woman who was incredibly smart, witty, beautiful and had a passion for life that was unmatched.  Try as I may, I will never be half the woman she was.....definitely a milestone year.......

I would not be fair if I did not point out some of the good milestones that happened this year also.  Melissa, my older daughter, who has poured her heart and soul into singing with the Metro Nashville Chorus over the last several years, had the privilege of competing in Internationals this year and her chorus came in 7th!!!  Seventh greatest chorus in all the world!!  The hard work, dedication and many years of practice had finally paid off and paid off big!  I got to watch it all through the magic of the wonderful new technology called live streaming over the internet......who knew......wouldn't have been available just a few years prior.  I am so proud of her.  Her leadership, her dedication, her work ethic, her competitive spirit....it all paid off this year.  Yes, it was a milestone year.....for all of us.

My youngest grandchild, Reagan, became a teenager this year, turning 13 in February.  So hard to believe.  Just yesterday, I was holding this precious little bundle of joy in my arms and now, she's almost as tall as her Dad, drop dead gorgeous and as talented as the day is long.  She has perfect tone, perfect posture and a unique and hard to achieve sound when she plays her trumpet for the school band.  I see nothing but more and more wonderful things from this young lady as the years progress......milestone year for both her, her parents, her grandparents and the world she will so profoundly impact in the coming years.....not just by musical talent, but by overall talent of just being a well-rounded and grounded young Christian woman.

Every year that Pierce, my autistic grandson, grows and learns and communicates better with his surroundings is a milestone year.....and this was one of the best.  This year saw him compete in Special Olympics and win several metals.  He grew by leaps and bounds in his communication skills.  He makes some of the best cookies you have ever tasted as a result of training in his life skills class. He's one of the most likeable and pleasant individuals you could ever want to be around and is respected and admired by so many who know him.  I am SO proud of him and his abilities that are showing themselves more and more each day.

As for Gene and me, we just keep getting older and keep watching the years slip by faster and faster.  Neither of us have good health, so we have no idea how much more time we have together.  But, today, as I reflected back on our life together, we've done some good things for starting out as a nieve 18 year old and a confirmed bachelor 23 year old.   When you make that commitment to each other and stand in front of God and witnesses to pledge your oath to each other, it's for life.......we've always believed that and still do.  Through sickness and health, dirt poor and comfortable, young and worn out, mad and glad....it's a milestone.....one of those that you never forget.

What will 2015 bring?  Only one knows and this is what He says through His apostle James in James 4:13-15:
 13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."…

So, I will leave you with that thought.......In 2015, I wish you and your family the best of milestone years........"If the Lord wills".........and His love, strength and wisdom to guide you, uphold you and watch over you as you grow in Him every day.