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January 1, 2021

cathysmaha1 Comment

January 1, 2021

We made it! At 12:01 am on Jan 1, for the first time ever, Hindsight will actually be 2020.  Hindsight means it is easier to evaluate situations when we are looking back at them, and with perfect vision (20/20). 

2020 was a year filled with isolation, fear, skepticism, loneliness, tragedy, depression, addiction, brain fog, strife, injustice, sacrifice, and much more. We learned so much about ourselves and the tremendous strength and perseverance we hold in times of difficulty.

Turning the calendar to 2021 doesn’t change everything, but what it gives us HOPE.  Hope, by definition, is a feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen.

Which brings me to my favorite bible verse from childhood, Hebrews 11:1 (KJV), memorized in the southeast Sunday school room of our church in rural central Iowa, the Carlton Brethren Church

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It’s as if this verse was ingrained in my mind for hope then and for this very moment. As we begin this year, my wish and prayers for 2021 are:

  • To experience peace
  • To be gentle with ourselves
  • To be kind and gentle with others
  • To be grateful for all we have
  • To breathe
  • To see the beauty around us
  • To stay connected
  • To remember what matters most in our lives
  • To experience rest and joy
  • To have good health and an end to the pandemic
  • To continue to see humor in the everyday things

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with many blessings!

Joy of a New Grandmother!
Family

Joy of a New Grandmother!

cathysmaha6 Comments

I’m in love, again, with a beautiful baby boy…Evan Michael.  For years I have heard about the tremendous love a grandparent feels for their grandchildren and now I get to experience that joy!

As our children grow up it is hard to imagine that they, too, will once be parents.  Not only is there joy in meeting your grandbaby but joy in seeing the eternal love that the new Momma and Papa have for their sweet baby boy.

Daughter, Sarah and her husband, Kyle, had their precious baby on April 24. Mother, Father, and baby are doing well.  I am so happy for them and wish them good health, much love, and happiness for their family.

baby evan 1 sarah hands and evan feet

We Love You, Little One

We loved you from the very start,
You stole our breath, embraced our heart.

Our life together has just begun,
You’re part of us our little one.

From the day we first knew,
Our mind was filled with thoughts of you.

We’d daydream of the things we’d share,
Like bedtime stories and teddy bears.

Like first steps and skinned knees,
Like nursery rhymes and ABC’s.

We thought of things you’d want to know,
Like how birds fly and flowers grow.

We thought of lessons we’d need to share,
Like standing tall and playing fair.

Each naptime we lay you down to sleep,
We gently kiss your head and cheek.

We count your little fingers and toes,
We memorize your eyes and nose.

We linger at your nursery door,
Awed each day we love you more.

Through misty eyes, we dim the light,
We whisper “We Love You” every night.

We loved you from the very start,
You stole our breath, embraced our heart.

As grandparents and grandchild our journey’s begun,
Our hearts are yours, forever, little one.

~~ Author Unknown ~~