Mom's guest post. Happy New Year

New Years Eve

The day today was filled with cleaning, washing and now some cooking.  In the morning, five of us plus John Pierre, cleaned the guest unit.  

This included washing walls, dusting, sorting of linens, fixing screens and doing some wash.  

Keeping up the guest unit was Eli and Anna’s job and now it falls on Anna.  

A group is coming in Sunday afternoon and will be staying here overnight.  This afternoon Anna is making some special dessert for this evening.  

I suppose, like many of you, the last day of a year is a time for reflection,  As I look out the windows here and see beautiful flowers, green grass, trees all blowing in a gentle breeze, the world seems a very peaceful place.  

But as I think of the days of the year, I know that peace has so often not been found in our world.  

Turmoil in war torn countries, terror attacks all to often have shattered peoples’ lives.  

In our own lives, 2015 has been a waiting year.  Waiting for a new little boy to join our family.  To say at this point that I even begin to understand why there is trouble in the world or why a little boy continues to wait for his forever family to come and get him is and understatement. 

  And so I am left, where I have been for many “Old Year Eves”..at a place of choosing to trust.  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thy own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”  

These words are one of two verses that I gave to my grandchildren this summer with the advice for them to say them each day and to take heed to their counsel.  

Sometime, all we have is the trust in  Him and I have found in the 70 plus years of my life that it is always enough.  So for the New Year..I find myself understanding so many things if life..NOT, but trusting and leaning ..YES!!

When we were flying to Haiti a couple of weeks ago, many of you were aware that we were detained in Grand Rapids airport for 7 hours when they declared our airplane unable to fly.  

As we sat and waited, I wondered why we needed to have this happen.  While we were waiting, I talked with a couple who were on our cancelled flight.  They were on a journey south to the bedside of a dying mother.  Their urgency was very real..the doctors had given his mother 3-10 days to live.  

As we chatted about mothers, I was able to share how my mom had died only 8 days after we had returned from an overseas trip.  How I really believe that my mom had waited until I had returned, until she was content in letting go!  

As we were getting ready to go our different ways, the man gave me a hug and told me they would be praying for our journey.  

I told him that I would pray that he would be able to see him mom once more.  He looked at me and said...”Maybe that is what this delay has been all about...”  Waiting and then a blessing...sometimes we just need to trust. Carol

Happy New Year!