Well, here we are, already well into the brand new year.  2014 ~ wow, what a beautiful year it promises to be!

And yet, I always feel a bit melancholy when I think of taking down my Christmas trees with their soft lights and storing away all the pretties we’ve collected over the years.  And so, once again I procrastinate. I think I will leave them up a little longer, at least through this coming weekend.  What could it hurt?  We do so enjoy them.

I’ve spent the first two days of the new year paying bills, writing a few letters that needed to be sent out, catching up with a couple of dear friends from Georgia by telephone, and having a little time with my sisters.  I am reminded anew that it is such a blessing to have good friends and family who care enough to take time to share their lives with us.

As I paid the first of month bills, I was reminded again of how thankful I am that Jim and I are seeing results to our commitment to become debt free within the next few years.  My list of bills to be paid is literally half of what it was a year ago, and the dollar amount going out monthly is about a third of what it was at that time.  Of course we are spending about the same, as we commit to rolling money from old bills toward the ones that are still due!  But that’s alright, because with God’s help and blessing, by this time next year that list will look even better. . .

And so, even though Christmas is over for another year, I carry the spirit of Christmas in my heart today.  I am grateful for so many blessings in our life.  Some that I can’t share aloud, and some that I want to shout from the mountaintop!

Most of all, I am thankful for a good husband who cares about me after forty years together, I am grateful for the love of our Lord and Savior, and I am looking forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Thank you for being a part of my life!