Happy New Year!

Just as predicted, 2010 was a year of big changes and big blessings for our family. We started the year by declaring that we were going to "trim the fat" in a number of areas, and I'm happy to report that we were successful! So successful that we want to continue to get better and better at it.

Our biggest blessing of the year, of course, was the arrival of our Zoe Grace on March 25. She has been a delight right from the beginning, a true gift of God's goodness. She was tested for SMA at birth and 9 long weeks later we received the joyous news that she is healthy! She is truly "life abundant". I have enjoyed this maternity leave so much! I connected with the Mom's Group at my church, accomplished some projects around the house, invested more time in Sabrina, and oh yeah, spent a whole lot of time with the happiest baby ever.

The biggest change of the year was Corrie's move back to MPI and selling his tow truck. After 6 years of being self-employed, he took a term position as a driver examiner "just for a couple months" and is now permanently employed as a tow truck operator for the salvage compound on Plessis. He gets to drive a brand-new tow truck and get paid for it!

The biggest project of the year was our attempt to sell our house and move to Neepawa. A move to a country setting has been on our hearts for a while, and shortly after Zoe's birth we thought it was a good time to try. We finally decluttered and organized the basement, and completed the projects around the house that we had been putting off. After a month in a hot market with only one unsatisfactory offer, plus a number of other roadblocks that came up, we realized that God was telling us it wasn't time yet. So, we settled back in to making a life for ourselves right where we are.

We were able to spend more time with family this year too. There were a number of trips to Neepawa, with me being on mat leave, and one big road trip to Kelowna with our truck and camper. We took about 5 days to travel there, stayed there for about 7 days, and took 5 days to travel home, camping all the way there and back. It was wonderful! And a very good time to reconnect together as a family and with Corrie's family in BC.

We're looking forward to what 2011 will bring. I love the passage in Isaiah 61 that speaks of the good news of the coming Saviour:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

I always think of the part about where Jesus has come to proclaim "the acceptable year of the Lord" at the start of a new year. The acceptable year of the Lord was the jubilee year, a time of celebration and freedom. Jesus came so that every year is the "acceptable year of the Lord". Isn't that good news? Happy New Year!