"Through the examen of consciousness, we become aware of God's presence with us even in moments that are tinged with regret and we begin to believe, little by little, that nothing can take us out of God's presence."Barton also says,
"...the real issue in self-examination is not that I am inviting God to know me (since he already does) but that I am inviting God to help me know me."The end of the year is a good time to reflect back on all the ways God made his presence known. So, here goes:
January:
I decided to do something radical and so I chose the Daniel Fast to begin the New Year. I planned a 7 day fast (I had some events and travel coming up that would make it difficult to maintain and I didn't think I could do the whole 21 days...) I had the best intentions. I'm a bit of a legalist, so I decided that I would go the whole she-bang and go cold turkey off coffee. Uh, hem. Let's just say that was not the wisest thing to do. By 2:00 pm of the first day I had a raging migraine and was throwing up. I was SO sick. At that point, even a cup of coffee couldn't fix it, so I suffered through the day and decided that the Lord would understand if I just had a cup or two in the morning so that I could function. This told me a couple of things:
1. I had a real pride issue going. I really thought I could defy the laws of caffeine addiction and not suffer the consequences just because I was doing something "spiritual." Goodness.
2. I really was/am addicted to caffeine...Here's a picture of some of the yummy food I ate during the remaining days. I really did enjoy the fast and plan to do it again - only tapering off caffeine this time.
January also brought a joyous occasion - a baby shower for my daughter Tricia! Here she is with her friend Lindsay.
The day of Tricia's shower it started to snow. This slightly affected the attendance for the shower, but we still had plenty of friends, food and presents! Little did we know what was coming in just 24 hours. We called it "Snowmaggedon!"
We rarely get this kind of snow here in Western Washington. The total ended up over 17 inches - a record at least in my lifetime. Even better - it got really cold and stayed around for a few days. Loved it!
February:
We celebrated David's birthday in Yakima at the Music Educator's annual convention in Yakima along with Andy, Amanda and the girls.
And then the surprise. Our Leap Baby.
Caleb Jimmie Asher - February 29, 2012
Here are the happy parents with their new son - my GRANDSON! :)
March:
March seemed almost anti-climatic after January and February, but we did manage to sneak away to the Oregon Coast for a few days during Spring Break. This is one of our favorite places in the world.
And this is my favorite person to go with.
April:
April seemed to fly by. I was thrilled to attend my first ever writer's conference at Mount Hermon. So inspiring - and the bonus was that it was for credit and my friend Corinne got to go with me!
April also included the Bethel Ladies retreat - always a fun and inspiring time with some of the most wonderful women on the planet. Here are a couple of my personal favorites:
May:
This was a month of big changes for me. On May 6th, I announced my resignation at Bethel in preparation for a move to Longview. It made for a long month of good-byes. One highlight of the month was sharing the platform with Amy Scott & Shereena Gering on Mother's Day.
Our theme was, "In Her Steps"
Tricia, Bobby & Caleb came down for church on Mother's Day and we all went to dinner afterward. It was super fun celebrating Tricia's first Mother's Day.
The month ended with a wonderful farewell celebration. We felt so honored and loved. These people and this place (Chehalis and Bethel Church) are in our hearts forever.
Little did we know when we said "good-bye" to these friends that they were about to become family...
June:
June brought the end of another school year and the beginning of the preparation for our big move. We also managed to squeeze in a trip to Alaska.
With these dear folks
It was a fabulous trip. And while we were in Alaska, this happened.
Nathanael Judd & Kayla Rasmussen are engaged!
July:
Was a blur of packing and trying to find a house in Longview. It was quite the ordeal to sort through 28 years of living and trying to decide what would make the move and what would have to go. We did manage to take a few days of family vacation to Thousand Trails near Leavenworth. We were only sad that Bobby, Tricia and Caleb couldn't come, but Bobby's job was in full swing and he couldn't get away.
August:
The packing and packing and packing took most of this month. We found good renters for our house and a cute house to rent. I had a few anxious moments over the move of my precious piano. The professional I hired showed up by himself in an old truck, but somehow managed to get it loaded and moved in one piece.
September:
The school year started with warm days. We discovered a neat beach on the Columbia just a few miles from our house where we went to cool off. We also established a new tradition of walking around Lake Sacagawea on Sunday afternoons.
October:
David was trilled that I was able to go with him for the first time ever on a hunting trip to the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon.
And we continued to enjoy beautiful walks at Lake Sacagawea.
There was fall beauty right outside our backdoor too.
My last class (hooray!) for my Master's Degree.
And the celebrations began for the upcoming wedding with a bridal shower for Kayla.
November:
And then came Thanksgiving!
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| Our crazy clan. Poor Kayla didn't know what she was in for. |
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| A Bountiful Table |
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| Annice & Addie at Lake Sacagawea |
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| Papa & Caleb |
And finally December came:
The BIG wedding.
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| Handsome little dude |
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| Two little princesses |
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| Our ever expanding family |
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| A really special moment when Nate & Kayla recited their adaptation of our vows. |
Christmas was a whirlwind of family & friends. It was quite a feat to figure out where everyone was going to sleep!
But we managed and had a wonderful time.
Many of the Ames clan gathered at the home place for Christmas Eve.
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| Grandpa Shorty with some of the Grandkids |
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| Grandpa Shorty with some of the Great-Grandkids |
Christmas morning is especially fun with little ones around.
And then it was off to our Christmas tradition - a few days at Leavenworth.
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| Caleb wasn't too sure about the snow suit... |
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| Sweet little family |
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| The A-Team |
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| Last stop before heading home - Starbucks! |
The practice of examine helps me see God's presence and activity in my daily life. As I reflected back over this past year, it's easy to see Him in these - the happy, family times. But there have been other times and events this past year. Times not chronicled by photos. Times too devastating, heartbreaking and confusing to capture in a snap shot. Gut-wrenching times of questioning. But even there I see God's activity. Because I trust His goodness, I know He never once left me or my family. In fact, during those dark times - if it's possible for Him to be closer, I believe He was. I do not understand all the ways He chooses to act on my behalf, but I trust Him completely. And, at the end of the day - or the year, that is what I want to know more than anything. His presence - His nearness - God with us.
Good-bye 2012. Hello new year with new opportunities to see God afresh!
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