Highlights of this last week of 2016:
Whitney & Jeff’s family came last Monday evening and left Tuesday morning after a quick tour of the mission office: Short but very sweet!
We’re speeding up! Tuesday afternoon, we managed to pay all the rents and also package supply orders for two zones of missionaries (over 20 companionships of 2).
Finally did a major sorting of our 3 furniture storage units Wednesday, and also packed the last ½ of missionary supply orders. That night we took 4 area missionaries who serve the Hmong people to dinner. Some were wearing their Hmong clothes since they were in town for Hmong New Year festivities. They looked great!
Thursday, we did end of year paperwork & orders; also bought & installed a new office water dispenser. There is no plumbing in our end of the building, not to mention that the treat cart is right outside our door so having a drink of water handy is important!
Friday, the zone leaders had training and then took all the orders we packaged to their people. We ordered needed furniture pieces to prepare for two senior missionary apartments we will furnish in the next few weeks.
More shopping and cooking Saturday for New Year’s Eve dinner with Bradshaws and assorted missionaries.
Looking ahead in 2017:
I have been thinking about what a big part new beginnings play in our lives, and about just how many do-overs there are! We get to start over every 24 hours. When we “have a bad day”, we can put it behind us and try again. In times of struggles or sorrows, we can “live life one day at a time”. There are new weeks, new months, years, decades. There are also new school years and levels – from preschool to elementary, from middle school to high school, college, and beyond. New to-do lists, new jobs, new milestones, new goals. We have thousands of chances to begin once more and make positive changes.
And for every beginning there is some sort of ending, also providing thousands of chances to learn from experiences, to save choice memories but let go of others, to benefit from what is behind while living in the present and going forward without being dragged down. Thousands of times we can alter the future to see life with gratitude, to recognize all the good in those around us and in our selves, and to recognize our blessings and understand their source, to inch up to higher ground in so many areas.
May we learn to live in a way that we can use our new beginnings (and endings), large and small, to become better and consequently, happier, people. WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL 2017!
With love from Len and Kit
