And a Happy New Year (of No Fear)!

"Be it Unto Me" by Liz Lemon Swindle

Well, Merry Christmas! It's a new post, for goodness' sake! (I have no idea how to properly punctuate "goodness" in that phrase. Little help, Liz? Or LCM?)

I have been busy, busy, busy, with some challenging things, but it just doesn't compare to thing happening around me, like:

Mrs. D, who ran her first sprint triathlon this fall. I went with her a year prior to cheer some friends in a sprint triathlon. Personally, I was convinced that swimming, biking, and running for hours on end would NEVER make my YONF list. But Mrs. D was inspired, and began training and preparing. A year later, she not only competed, but took FIRST in her age group AND took 20 minutes off her goal time!!

That same day, Mrs. K entered her first OLYMPIC-length triathlon, and took second in her age group!

(So thrilled for them. Still don't want to do it myself.)

Or how about Mrs. F, who has never been a runner, but trained herself over several weeks, and ran a 5K, beating her goal time, too!

I stand in awe of Mrs. S, who has endured TWO difficult surgeries this fall, and handled them both with her trademark grace and poise. The same grace and poise that she showed on Sunday while putting on her first Christmas musical program as our new choir director. She confessed that she was beyond nervous, but if you weren't there, you can take a second now to wish you had been! It was perfect!

My thoughts are constantly on KB, who is out of town for Christmas, supporting her son and his family through their little daughter's recent and sudden cancer diagnosis, with life-altering complications.

And then there's Jenn, who is also in the process of beating cancer. With a big stick, I might add. I guess cancer missed the memo to never mess with Jenn.

How lucky am I, that I get to rub shoulders with all of these people, and so many others who are just as courageous and determined?

In fact, not only do I get to rub shoulders with them, but I find myself constantly blessed by the goodness of others in so many ways!

Our blessings keep pouring in, taking the forms of meals, rides for the kids, phone calls to check on us, company of good friends, favors given exactly when they're needed, and on and on and on!

I can't begin to describe my relief when lovely, lovely Yonf called yesterday and asked if she could come over and wrap presents. I hadn't told a soul that it was the most immediately pressing thing on my mushy mind, and the greatest favor anyone could have done for me yesterday. (And boy howdy is she FAST! I blinked and it was all wrapped!)

My sister called to see what I need, and then let me dump a HUGE Christmas project on my amazing teenage nieces, who then prepared a Christmas gift so amazing that Santa himself couldn't hope to top it.

A friend showed up at my door and handed me a box of items her kids wanted to get rid of. In the box was the EXACT item that my boy has been asking for.

Honestly, I could go on!

A lot of our typical Christmas has fallen by the wayside this year. We didn't go see lights (although I made sure to ooh and aaah for the kids at anything half-way impressive on the way home from Grandma's), and I've played exactly ONE Christmas CD this month. We're squeaking the gingerbread houses in this afternoon, and I'll put our Christmas Card online sometime today, MAYBE.

But (I'll bet you saw this coming) the gratitude I feel for all the kindness that has come our way feels more like Christmas to me than anything we've neglected this month.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!