This year has been eventful from one end of the spectrum to the other.  First- a big hug for my youngest step-daughter who scored well on her MCAT. I know she’s worked hard on her education, and I look forward to day we can celebrate her putting that M.D. at the end of her name (by the way, does this come with free medical treatment for family???).  

My oldest step-daughter and her husband recently blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Olivia. Oddly enough, being a grandmother hasn’t made me feel old. What actually made me begin to feel old was that on New Year’s Eve I phoned my daughter at midnight to wish her and her husband a happy new year, and they were at home –they’d decided they really didn’t want to go out, but rather work on the room they are remodeling in their house. My daughter is now old enough not to care whether or not she’s with her friends at a party on New Year’s Eve. THAT made me feel old. I also want to thank everyone for your support, thoughts and prayers while my son, David, is serving in

Iraq. Many of you have asked how I deal with it, as well as how he feels about being in a war ridden country. While the answers to your questions have many parts, the key parts are that he has been ready to go to

Iraq for sometime now. After spending two years in

Korea and completing extensive training, preparing him for the day he would eventually end up there, he was ready to go. The worst part is the distance between us, but that gap is bridged by our almost daily conversations through instant messaging. We probably talk more now than we did when he was here in the States. We even celebrated the transition from 2007 to 2008 chatting online.

Iraq is eight hours ahead of where we live, so I was the first one to wish him well for the new year. As far as how I deal with him being in

Iraq –first, I know my prayers are heard. Even though I don’t know the outcome of what his life will be, I know he has the best protection possible through prayer. This brings me to the second key to handling David’s service there. There are no guarantees in life, except for the fact that each one of us has a limited time on this earth. If my son were still here in the

U.S., there would be no assurance –no promise –that something would not happen to him here. Sure, the propensity is higher in a war zone but think about that for a minute. Each time you’re traveling the roadways and you meet an oncoming car, you’re at risk of colliding, and many head-on collisions result in death. Most of us put our lives at this kind of risk on a daily basis, so I believe that it’s not the best thing to assess how much at risk a life is, but rather, if it’s your time to go, are you at peace with your readiness to go.

 As far as anything new with me and my husband, we’ve had our share of medical issues in 2007 –including medical issues with my dog. Fortunately, all tests have turned out a good report. For those of you who don’t already know, our dogs got into a spat, and my husband’s dog accidentally chomped down on my dog’s tail, severing a vein. It’s amazing how much blood can spew out of a wagging tail –it looked like a crime scene. This injury necessitated many days of me working from home to monitor her during her critical time, then taking her to daycare and vet appointments to do bandage changes. Aside from that, the weirdest medical issue was that my husband was bitten by a spider and was deathly ill for almost a week. It took about another 3 weeks for the symptoms to disappear, and now he has scars at both bite marks. As best as we can determine, the culprit was an Australian Redback, which is related to the Black Widow and equally as venomous.  Many of you have asked about any resolutions I’ve made for 2008, I no longer do those. Everyone knows resolutions are made with the intent of them being broken at some point. To me, that just sets one up for failure, so rather than resolutions, I set goals. I spent 2007 clearing clutter from my life, and not just the clutter that gathers in closets and garages. I’ve been focusing on the things that are important to me, and stepping down from duties to organizations that I’m just not that passionate about. I’m now focusing on keeping my priorities in order –God, family, friends and work. Once those are in the proper order, everything else in life falls into alignment.  

One of the things I enjoy most is listening to music –primarily Christian rock and classical – so I wanted to share one of my favorite songs with you. This one definitely helps me stay focused. It helps me remember that, even on my worst days, I can generally find at least 10 other people going through something even worse than I am.  Casting Crowns, Praise You In This Storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw 

Also among my favorites is Ludvig Girdland. I first learned about this brilliant musician and composer in 2005. His music is absolutely beautiful, and his story is a tragic one. Of those who are reading this, if you have a prayer list, please add this gentleman and his wife, Tamara, to it as they can certainly use them. Below is a link to their story, and the link below that is where you can listen to and order his music. All proceeds from Friends…Forever go to Ludvig’s medical fund.  http://www.sensiblelife.com/features/people/split-second-decision.html 

http://www.sensiblelife.com/relax/book-and-movie-reviews/the-music-of-ludvig-girdland.html I also enjoy reading, and my favorite book came out in 2006, 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey.

Cec Murphey is a terrific writer and speaker. Anyone interested in reading his work, or learning more about him can visit www.cecmurphey.com.

 So many people have touched my life in 2007, and I am grateful for all of them –especially those who help keep me centered. With that in mind, I’ll close with wishing everyone a happy, prosperous and very blessed New Year in 2008!