Counting Our Blessings for 2008

Greetings one and all, and happy new year!

Ten years ago, while living in Europe, we began a family tradition.  It was Christmas of 1999 and since we had purchased a new camera that year, we did not buy any gifts for each other to exchange on Christmas morning.  We were a family of two and far away from all those closest to us. 

So that day, instead of having gifts to open, we took a few hours and recounted all the gifts God had already given us that year.  We considered it an opportunity to celebrate His faithfulness to us and to renew our sense of wonder lest we take for granted the blessings that comprised our life that year.  We called it "Counting Our Blessings" and recorded them all in a journal.  

Every year since, sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day, we have continued the tradition.  Though subsequent years have also included presents underneath the Christmas tree (and even the occasional one that was too big to fit), this tradition remains one of the highlights of all our holiday celebrations.  

Over the past few days, we counted our blessings for 2008 and have decided to share them with you as our annual newsletter.  So here goes, in no particular order.  

• A fantastic road-trip vacation in July that included over 2000 miles of driving through six different states, time in the homes of family and friends, celebrating the 4th of July at Niagara Falls, visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in Louisville, the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, Penn State in State College, the Toy & Train Museum in Wheeling, WV, and even lunch one afternoon in Indiana, just across the river from Louisville.  During the trip we saw license plates from 48 states and 6 Canadian provinces.  In ten evenings on the road, we only needed a hotel stay for one night.

• The Works Family Health & Fitness Center where Katie is thrilled with her employment as a swimming instructor, providing both group and private lessons to children, teens, and adults.  Her employee status affords she and Alex free membership and Jason also gets free membership as an insurance benefit through his job at UNH.  

• Home-school gym at The Works where twice a week Alex has the opportunity to participate in athletic activities and games while developing good friendships.  Katie then gets the chance to exercise.  Alex ran a mile this year for the first time and his best time is now close to eight minutes. 

• A new iMac computer that has awesome graphics, a large display screen and lots of power.  It gives us many new options for working with music and photos, homeschooling activities, and all other personal computing needs.

• For good closure and celebration of our 10 year old greyhound Nolen Lee as his life came to an end in August and for the gift of our 2 year old greyhound, Rameses the "Greyt".

• Our family overnight experience at Battleship Cove, the world's largest historic naval ship exhibit, where we were able to interact with history firsthand at a very unique place and to share time with grandfathers.

• Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Study for Kids Series by Kay Arthur that has brought to Alex the joy of studying God's word in Genesis and has increased Katie's love and comprehension of scripture.

• Jason's admission into the Master in Counseling program at UNH in the spring as well as successful completion of his first 2 classes in the summer and fall, along with the difficult but confirmed direction to withdraw from the program in the winter in order to regain balance in his life.

• Grandmothers who generously supplied Alex with tons of clothes that he likes and requests and that other boys have benefitted from as he has outgrown them.

• Our first experience with the Boston Duck Tours departing from the Museum of Science, touring the city and the harbor on a very rainy day in Boston, followed by a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

• The decision to pursue an international adoption along with identifying Ethiopia as our first choice country working with Bethany Christian Services.

• Our summer yard sales that enabled us to meet new neighbors, get to know others better, clean out unneeded items, and provide some of the money needed for our initial adoption application.

• Ministry investors who indicated a commitment to continue with financial support that will offset some of our adoption process expenses in the year ahead.

• Katie and Alex's annual June hiking trip to visit Auntie Natalie in northern NH and to enjoy fishing, kayaking, and seeing Arethusa Falls (for the 4th time) It is amazing!!

• Many different types of athletic opportunities for Alex  during the year including summer tennis and soccer camps, homeschool gym, swimming, basketball, baseball and football.

• Our four-day getaway retreat in late December which allowed us to enjoy times of quiet, pleasure reading, playing in the snow, watching movies, and contemplating the next year of our life.

• The electrical power that never stopped flowing through the wires that supply our house during days when most everyone in the state was in the cold and dark for days.

• Norah Robinson, our newest niece and cousin, born to Jason's sister and her husband at home the day after Thanksgiving.

• Wonderful jobs that Katie and Jason really enjoy, including the provision of a new job for Jason with the UNH Foundation in May.

• Our transition to a more comprehensive creationism world view as a result of much study and exposure to top notch creation scientists and resources.

• The creative new places that Jason was able to visit while traveling for work, including sites like the Empire State Building, in NYC, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

• The Young Inventors Program, a homeschooling activity offered at The Works, one afternoon a week, that allowed Alex to develop his inventing skills, to learn from his peers, and even to win the award for the best sports and leisure time invention, The SocScore; a soccer ball that keeps score with each goal scored.

• The sport of soccer which became prominent in Alex's life this year including camps at The Works and with the UNH varsity team in Somersworth, outdoor rec soccer, indoor soccer and a UNH men's soccer game during Homecoming Weekend.

Should you have made it all the way to this point, we hope you have noticed, as we have, one glaring reality.  This list is desperately short.  Given the fact that God brings at least one blessing into our lives every day of the year, and that there are 365 days in a year...well, you get the idea.  There isn't time for us to write or you to read an accurate rendering.  We hope you see, this year more than ever, how that is true in your life as well.   

Blessings to you as we all venture forward into the final year of this decade!

Jason, Katie, Alex & Rameses