The Year in Review
There is so much that could be said for any year, let alone this one, but I will lead off by saying, “WOW that sure went FAST!!” My family had a great year together. We have seen growth in our faith and there is nothing more important than that.
Together we have seen and done many things from watching our church kids play baseball to leaving thank you notes on the cars of veterans. We work at life together and I am thankful for the hearts full of love, concern, and compassion found in Angie and Olivia. I learn from them daily.
By watching Olivia in her element with the school choir I have gained a greater love for music and the arts, and the role they can play in our society. Especially memorable was the two days we spent in Little Rock for the State Honor Choir. These two days Olivia and approximately 50 other youngsters were under the direction of Raynard Brown. Mr. Brown was a fantastic role model and teacher for these kids, not only on the music front, but in the beauty, diversity, and necessary unity of life. The stories he told and the passion he had for life and doing things the right way likely will not be forgotten by anyone privileged enough to be there.
I have been awed and amazed by the work the youth of our church puts in throughout the year, and most certainly when they prepare for and execute their annual mission trip, under the direction of our incredible youth minister, David Lawrence. Our world is a better place because of this group and others like it that give freely of themselves to advance the cause of Christ. Us older dogs can learn some mighty good new tricks from them.
While Olivia and the youth were away Angie and I got the opportunity to spend a day reacquainting ourselves with the beauty of God’s creation with a driving tour of North Central Arkansas. This was followed up a few weeks later by a trip back to that area, with Olivia, that included a tour of the amazing Blanchard Springs Cavern. This opened up a new realm of amazement, for me, of the intricacy and detail of God’s creation.
Over the course of 2016 I have read (includes listening to audiobooks) 51 books plus the entire Bible. As someone who did not enjoy reading as a kid it is amazing now to see these kinds of numbers of books and the amount of useful information available to us if we just go out and become a sponge soaking it up.
Top 7 Reads/Listens
From 2016
- “George Washington’s Secret Six
By Brian Kilmeade
2) “Getting Things Done”
By David Allen
3) “The Last Lecture”
By Randy Pausch
4) “Creativity Inc.”
By Ed Catmull
5) “A More Perfect Union”
By Dr. Ben Carson
6) “The Automatic Millionaire”
By David Bach
7) “The Field of Fight”
By Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn
Our family has been blessed in these ways and so many more during 2016. God’s blessing has been evident and for that we are thankful. May 2017 draw us nearer to Him and one another, and may you and your family be blessed immensely and your faith grow like kudzu in a southern forest.
What are your best memories from the previous year? By sharing them and opening up to what can be, with God, in 2017 you will Do Well!
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a BLESSED New Year!
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