Things I Like About January

Sometime around the middle of December, I begin to dread January. December is so full of joy and light and fun and family. January is so q-u-i-e-t, dark, empty, long. But this January (so far) seems different. I'm really enjoying this one. I don't know if this year is different, or if I'm different, but here are the things I like about (this) January.

Beauty
Sunsets and sunrises. Frosted leaves and grass. Snow silently falling. Clear cold days and nights (there have been a few!).

Birds
I guess it is living here on the slough - but I've never seen such a concentration of birds - cool birds, not just your run-of-the-mill robins and chickadees. I didn't know there were so many kinds of ducks. Mallards I knew, but Buffle Heads, Coots, Wood Ducks, to name a few I didn't know. They are beautiful and quirky and all so different. Chris (our family Duck Commander) delights in pointing out the different varieties and helping us identify them. Yesterday a Blue Heron hung out behind the house. He/she was in no hurry - long neck turning this way and that. A Snowy Owl perched on my back fence long enough for me to get a good look before swooping away. A Red Tailed Hawk lives in the tree directly across the slough from our house. I watch him circle and land nearly every day. And just now, a Bald Eagle came rocketing down to pick up a little something to eat from the bounty of the slough.

Balance
I think I need January as a place to regain equilibrium and balance. The calm, quiet of January is a perfect time to reflect and recoup from the frenzy of the Fall months. Long nights and short days offer an excuse to rest.

This year I have no job to rush off to every day. I didn't have a long list of "new" initiatives to begin or programs to implement. I think this has given me time to be aware of how wonderful the month of January really is. Maybe next year, regardless of my employment situation, I will be more aware of the beauty and I won't dread it so much.

A Decision

Well - we finally made a decision about our new home church. It's been a weird six months. At first the freedom of not HAVING to be at church was wonderful. We've done a lot of visiting, missed church entirely a couple of times and generally just did what we wanted to do on Sundays (and weekends). But I've known all along that we would have to settle in and make a decision - and it was a hard one.

We tried five different churches and liked them all really. The easiest and most comfortable choice would have been Columbia Heights where we already have relationship. But a part of this whole adventure was to make sure we were NOT just comfortable. I particularly wanted the experience of walking into a church where I knew no one and no one knew me. New Life is the only church out of the five that fit that criteria. We've attended four Sundays now and have even gone to Sunday School a couple of times and really feel that this is the place God wants us for now. The tipping point was the preaching. Pastor Tony is a Bible expositor. He just opens the word and preaches verse by verse. That was on our list - really at or near the top of our list. Today we went to the "newcomers lunch" and I'm going to go to the prayer meeting tomorrow night and the ladies Bible study on Wednesday. I feel like I need to wade in to involvement and not just sit on the outside. However, I'm far from wanting to be in any kind of leadership. The church has a choir that will start rehearsals for an Easter production next week and I think (although we haven't decided for sure) that we will check that out too. Might as well I guess. It's good to have made a decision.

But at the same time I can't figure out why I have this tiny tinge of something - I'll call it sadness for lack of a better term. I found myself feeling like I wanted to cry several times during Sunday School, worship and the lunch that didn't have anything to do with being particularly moved by the Spirit. Maybe it's a little fear or insecurity? So far I don't have any red flags of caution and certainly have felt warmly welcomed from the very first. It's just hard to put yourself out there I guess. In the last few years I've developed the tendency to hold back a little - not wanting to get hurt. Even though I have committed to begin attending on Sundays and am trying out a few things, I'm still very tentative.

So we're beginning a new year at New Life church. Isaiah 43:18-19 says this from The Message:
“Forget about what’s happened;
    don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
    It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
    rivers in the badlands.

I want to be alert and present to the new thing God is doing in my life. I'm ready, Lord.

One Word for 2013

Inspired by the folks at http://oneword365.com/, last year I chose the word, faithful. It signified to me God's faithfulness in every area of my life, and encouraged me to faithfully carry out His call on my life. I witnessed God's faithfulness again and again, in part because I was watching for it - aware of it.

Everywhere we go these days we are confronted with words. Television, books, newspapers, blogs, Twitter - words are coming at us in overwhelming number. In a sea of so many words, having one word to hang onto is like an anchor. What a relief it is to just remember one thing, one word.

My word for 2013 is Courageous.

Back in April of last year, at our church women's retreat, our speaker took us through an exercise to discover the six words that described our core values. My number one word was courage. I don't consider myself to be a courageous person. Not at all. But at the time, I was embarking on a courageous step - the step to move out of my comfort zone and into a whole new phase of life. Really, it was the culmination of a lot of courageous steps - small ones, baby steps - that led to this leap. Now I find myself a few months into this new adventure and needing to remind myself that it takes courage (really - faith) to follow where God is leading. I cannot see much past the present moment. I need courage to walk through the next door open to me, wherever and whatever that is. I need courage to write and submit papers. I need courage to get involved in a new church and a new community. I need courage to explore possibilities for my future that are still fuzzy and not completely revealed. I need courage to simply be, to rest and not be anxious about the future. I need to be courageous.

My verse for this year is Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Good-bye 2012

I've been reading a lot of books recently on spiritual formation. One of the recommended disciplines for spiritual formation is the practice of the daily examine. The daily examine (or weekly - or in this case yearly) is the practice of mentally walking through your day with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to go back over the events of the day and invite God to show you where he was present with you and how you responded to his presence. Ruth Haley Barton says,

"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.

One of the reasons I only did the fast for 7 days was a retreat for Bethel's Women's Ministries leadership team in the middle of the month. You simply cannot go anywhere with these two ladies and be on a restricted diet. Not possible.

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.

Andy's Middle School band was selected to perform as part of a clinic at the conference. A huge honor!

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!

Our crazy clan. Poor Kayla didn't know what she was in for.

A Bountiful Table

Annice & Addie at Lake Sacagawea

Papa & Caleb

And finally December came:

The BIG wedding.

Handsome little dude

Two little princesses

Our ever expanding family

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.

Grandpa Shorty with some of the Grandkids

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.

Caleb wasn't too sure about the snow suit...

Sweet little family

The A-Team

Last stop before heading home - Starbucks!

The year is ending much like it began, with a fresh blanket of snow.

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!