Goodbye 2008

2008 has been a year of struggle, waiting, and rejoicing.

Struggle: This year I struggled with breast cancer, including three surgeries and radiation treatment, struggled with my own selfishness and pride, and struggled to do what I am called to do.

Waiting: This has been a year of waiting for health, waiting for energy, and waiting for the Lord.

Rejoicing: See the photo above of my children, and you will see a huge reason for rejoicing! God has been faithful through the struggle and the waiting, and blessed us beyond measure!

Tonight we will enjoy the fellowship of our family and friends and ring in the new year as we do every year. And I am thankful both that last year is ending, and that the future before us is full of the kindness of our heavenly Father.

Happy New Year, everyone!

More glimpses

Tim: sleeping.


Nikki and Tim playing with Zoe.


Zoe, looking cute as ever.


Ben and Elsa, also looking cute.


Marilyn opening gifts.

Glimpses of Christmas Day

Nikki refilling a plate of goodies.


All the guys playing "El Grande" (Tim, Jack, Matt, Ben, Dave).

Maria, Zoe and Jeni.


Elsa receiving her cast-iron Dutch Oven.


Nikki receiving the elephant that Elsa knit for her.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas, Gentle Readers! May you enjoy a blessed time with family and friends, and celebrate this season with joy in Christ, the newborn King!

Christmas is coming!

I love this time of year! We have fresh snow, and Ben and Elsa have been here wrapping gifts and playing games with us. Tim and Nikki are on their way into town today, and we have a Christmas party tonight. I am about to do some food prep for the next couple of days, while listening to Christmas music. Have a blessed Christmas, Gentle Readers!

Year-end Family Update

It is entirely possible that my posting may become irregular after today. Tomorrow, the children start arriving, and I can hardly wait!

Ben and Elsa will come in from Bloomington, IN, on the 20th. Ben completed his masters degree last spring at Indiana University, and is now working on his PhD there in classical studies. He's passed his first comp in Latin grammar, and will be doing his Latin translation next spring, followed by the grammar and translation tests for Greek next year. Yes, he will be a student forever. But he is doing well, and we are proud of him! Elsa is helping keep the boat afloat by working at the graduate school of the business college at IU. In the spring it looks like she will trade in her office job for a job with the admissions department, which should be a nice change of pace for her. We are proud of how hard-working and willing to do things Elsa has been. She is a great wife to Ben! They just celebrated their first anniversary on Dec. 15. They continue to enjoy their church, and it warms our hearts to see them serving and participating there!

Tim and Nikki will arrive on the 23rd. Tim is enjoying his job at the Missile Defense Division of Raytheon in Tucson, AZ. And Nikki is doing a great job of settling them into their apartment. They are plugging in to a great church in Tucson, and making friends and settling in. We are pretty proud of both of them for making this bold move to trust God and go where they never dreamed they would go! They just celebrated their third-month anniversary on the 13th of this month.

Marilyn continues in good health, and is a huge help to me around the house. She continues a pretty rigorous schedule of walking, working out at the YMCA, volunteering at the two local elementary school libraries, and at the retirement home in town. In May she will have been living with us for five years, and this past September, she celebrated her 82nd birthday.

Dave continues to be a wonderful husband, and my best friend. He serves as an elder at our church, and continues his work at LANL. It's hard to believe he has been working there for almost 25 years! He is a faithful and diligent husband and elder and scientist and son and father, and is a wonderful chemistry teacher to a group of home-schooled high school students this year. I know I'm biased, but I think he is a pretty special guy.

And me: I've survived a challenging year. Diagnosed with breast cancer in March, I have not only completed three surgeries and 7 weeks of radiation treatments, but I have watched as the Lord has cared for and provided for me all this long, hard year. I knew God was good, but now it is a deeper, more practical knowledge. I continue to rest and recuperate and adjust to my new "normal" as best I can, with the hope that more and more energy will return to me, so that I can return to doing all the things I love, like teaching and quilting.

So, this past year has been a good year, as every year with the Lord is. We expanded our family by adding another daughter-in-love, and saw another Finnegan family unit established. And we walk in trust and amazement of all the Lord does for and in and through us. Many thanks to all of you who have and continue to pray for me. That is a precious gift, and God is a mighty Answerer of prayers!

As I look back over this year, I am overwhelmed by God's goodness. I hope you will take time, Gentle Readers, in the midst of this busy season, to look for His goodness in your life, and celebrate this season with a thankful heart! I know I will.

Rain on snow

This afternoon it rained on all of our lovely snow. I always find rain on top of snow a depressing thing, melting, making dirty, and then freezing over. But this evening as it turns cold, there is still enough snow to look lovely in the twilight.

Today has been a less weary day somehow. I accomplished things around the house, attended a short Christmas party with my worldviews students, and walked and talked with a friend before resting in my comfy chair with a good book. When I climb into my chair each day, and recline it with a heating pad under my back and a flannel quilt on top of me, a good book in my hands, and the late afternoon sun reflecting on the clouds through the large windows in my bedroom, I feel so blessed.

Tim called while I was resting and he was driving home from work, and we will get to see them earlier than we thought on Tuesday, which will be great! I am so excited to be gathering all the chicks in for a cozy Christmas!

Tonight was planned to be the chorus concert for the homeschool chorus I directed--the one we had to cancel when I could no longer direct and we lost our accompanist. In order to keep from being melancholy, the four chorus board couples are going out to dinner together tonight. I love these people, and it is a treat to be meeting up with them all! God has been so generous to me by giving me these sweet friends-- I am truly blessed!

On the health front, I do best when I exercise and rest, and try to be patient with the process. I need to remind myself this is part of the recovery process for me, and let my body set the tempo. Thank you to all who have prayed for my rash to go away. Unfortunately, it has not gone away yet, but it is quite improved after my 2 weeks on steroids. I am to continue the steroids for two more weeks, until I see my primary care doc, so we have two more weeks to treat it and pray before I have to have a skin biopsy. So keep those prayers coming!