This morning I read all the blogs (Weeks 1-51) and couldn’t believe the topics we covered together. All the holidays, my surgery, the election, remembering our fallen heroes, my retirement, birthdays…you were with me as I lived life and I thank you so much!

I also want to thank Mark for staying up with me on those nights when I struggled to make my self-imposed Saturday deadline. XOXO

I hope I made you smile when you read about my own exploits; that you had your own epiphany as you read a shared scripture; and you spent a few private moments with God.

I admit, a few tears have rolled down my cheeks as I write this last blog. I know God is faithful, and he’ll be orchestrating my next assignment. But, we never want to let go of something good, do we? Even when we know something better is just around the corner.

Jesus said, “I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).”

My prayer for all of us is that we embrace what God has for us, that we continue to lean on one another as we live life, and that we accomplish great deeds through our actions.

This isn’t good-bye…it’s see you soon!

As a mother, I always think I should have praised my children more, supported them more, spent more time with them—and there are days when I feel like a failure as a mother. I wonder if Mary, the mother of Jesus, ever felt the same way?

We begin Mary’s entrance into motherhood in a barn because there was no room for her in an inn. Mary was a teenager when she gave birth to the Savior of the World. She probably had no clue how to care for an infant. Haven’t we all been unsure of how to hold our little newborn treasures? Or how to feed them? Or change their diapers?

When Jesus was twelve, his family traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When they were traveling home, Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus wasn’t with them. They traveled back to Jerusalem and searched for three days until they found him in the temple (Luke 2:41-52). Can you imagine how Mary felt at this moment? Elation at finding him safe, angry that he had stayed behind without permission. Haven’t we all felt that momentary flutter in our hearts when we thought we’d lost our child in a store? I can remember that scenario all too well.

Jesus demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit through miracles and his sermons, but his family didn’t believe in him. In Mark 3:21, the scripture says, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Mary knew exactly who Jesus was, yet in her mind, I believe, she thought he was still her little boy. There were times when my children were spreading their wings and testing the water, and I didn’t trust in them. I wanted to keep them safe, I wanted to keep them close, but that’s not God’s plan for them. Can you relate to Mary?

We finally see Mary as a witness to the crucifixion (John 19:26). I can’t begin to imagine how she felt, seeing her first born son be tortured and crucified. Mary must have remembered nursing her son, playing with him, losing him in Jerusalem, and failing to believe in him. I see Mary as a woman just like me and you—with all the love in her heart and all the failings we suffer. Today, as we celebrate Jesus’s birthday, I’d like to celebrate Mary, too. She teaches us that we’re not perfect mothers, just loving ones.

As I drove down Bullard Avenue today, going about 50 miles per hour, a jaywalker sauntered into my lane. I started to brake and thought, get out of the way you idiot! He finally picked up his pace when he realized there was heavy traffic headed right for him.

I don’t know what happens during the Christmas season. It seems to bring out the worst in people—especially me. I lose my patience, I want beautiful clothes and jewelry I can’t afford, and my attitude is mainly about me. I have to fight against this all December. No one ever claimed that being a Christian was easy!

In Luke 14:27, Jesus said, “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Fighting my own predilections and desires are my cross and sometimes it is damn heavy.

There are days that I want to throw Christianity out the window and just think about myself and my family. But then I think about my life before Christ and my life after Christ, and I definitely choose the latter.

We all carry a cross, but we don’t have to carry it alone. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This month in particular I need to remember these wise words. I need rest for my soul. If I have that, then I don’t need anything else. And the next time I see a jaywalker in my path, I’ll be a little more patient and humble.

I’ve had an opportunity to watch some of my grandchildren in action…Kaylee playing basketball, Ayden tumbling, and Noah mastering video games without reading a word of instruction. I can see their fine minds, flexibility, quickness—I can actually see them learning new skills or improving on the ones they have. They have the whole world available to them, where nothing is impossible to access or learn.

I long to run and jump with my grandchildren, or to share a winning strategy to defeat a virtual foe. But the reality is my children and grandchildren are climbing the mountain, and I’m on my downhill slide. So, what legacy can I leave my loved ones that matter?

At this point in my life, I realize the best legacy I could leave my family is to share my Christian faith. If the idiom, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” then I should be showing them the fruit of the spirit by exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

What does that mean? It means that I should be kind when I’m talking about someone, patient when I’m waiting in the grocery line, or generous if I see someone who needs a helping hand.

I’m reminded of Deuteronomy 6:5-7, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

What do I hope for? To have children and grandchildren who love God and have a personal relationship with him, to be genuine, and have a heart for people. Am I asking for too much? I don’t think so.

(I won’t be taping a video segment for this week)

Ah, the Christmas songs, the frantic shoppers, the crazy drivers, the sensation of money slipping through my fingers—these are all signs that the Christmas season has begun. During this time of year, I can sometimes feel overwhelmed and empty inside. And shouldn’t this be the happiest time of year when we celebrate our Savior’s birth?

I thought this year would be different because I have more free time on my hands since my retirement. But I still find myself scouring the ads, developing strategies to attack my Christmas shopping, and worrying about finding the perfect gifts that my family will love.

This morning during my Bible study, I ran across this sentence taken from THE ARMOR OF GOD by Priscilla Shirer, “The vacuum within our hearts can only be occupied by the one thing for which it was created: relationship and intimacy with God.” This sentence flew off the page and hit me on the head.

Sometimes I forget that God created me. He hardwired me to desire a relationship with him. And when I begin to feel empty inside, that’s code for I’m not spending enough time with God. During this time of year, I need to remember that it isn’t all about shopping for that perfect present, it’s about appreciating and being thankful for the present God gave the world—Jesus Christ.

So as I go about my business like Santa’s elf this month, the following two verses are going to help put things into perspective:

• Philippians 4:6 – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

• Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

As I put these verses into practice, I plan to be a patient driver, a courteous shopper, and I thankful daughter. Can anyone relate?

Sorry for the poor quality of the footage! I couldn’t edit my video.