2023 was a bit of a wild ride, but there’s a lot on my good list. I could have kept going, but here are some good gifts and joys from this year. (Thank you, Lord!)
2023 Good List
-Matt’s persistent patience
-Seeing the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce + the Hoover Dam
-All the prayers and grace surrounding my gallbladder issues + surgery
-70 books read this year
-God created such silly surreal things as toadstool hoodoos
-Finding out when I’ve had enough and more struggles still come, God’s care is actually enough
-Getting to spend time in person with friends from afar
-Listening to Matt read out loud
-Local friends that feel like family
-The s’mores cookies at Jacob Lake Inn store
-Friends who welcomed me weekly between work and Bible study
-Getting to know some really cool kids + laughing with them over all sorts of silly things
-Writing words reflecting on God’s Word that helped me rest in Jesus when I was weary + getting to hear those words helped others do the same
-The words of friends on their blogs, in their books, in conversations, phone calls, texts, and even sharing in the “I’m Tired, Lord” project (Proverbs 16:24)
-Exploring Savannah and trying Beignets
-Friends’ indulgence of my love of hobnobs
-The series on Romans our pastors have been preaching
-Building legos
-When the chapter I read was exactly what I needed that moment + God knew it
-Getting to know better the people we serve alongside at church
-Eating pizza and cake and nuggs and PEANUT BUTTER again!
-Charlotte being the place I’ve lived the longest in my adult life + the relief it is to not be in a hurry in deepening relationships because Lord willing, we’re here for a good long time
-Matt’s laugh that never gets old even though it’s rare a day goes by without hearing it
-Getting more into bird-watching
-New Albums from CityAlight, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors and Ed Sheeran
-Playing board games at dinner
-Finally reading The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
-Seeing Switchfoot in Concert
-Finishing all of Jane Austen’s novels
-Going to the show Cookin’
-Biographies like The Churchill Girls, Being Elisabeth Elliot, and Stories of My Life by Katherine Paterson
-Our annual just-us trip to Charleston, shamelessly eating at Carmella’s daily
-Getting to work on a precious and oh-so-fun writing project, alongside some precious and oh-so-fun people
-Conviction about slowing down
-Walks on my favorite trail in all seasons
-Watching All Creatures Great and Small
-Friends we can be absurdly silly with (have you heard of a complaint coalition? How about the game Ransom Notes? How about cooking an actual meal in a hotel room? How about games made up of cotton balls and little else?)
-Relaxing in our neighborhood pool
-Learning some Russian and Japanese, brushing up on Spanish, and conflating them all ridiculously
-Attempting a watercolor or two
-England (too much to say!)
-Seeing the ways God answers my prayers for loved ones and loves them far better than I can
-A screen door to let the sunshine and breeze in
-The See’s Chocolates Matt gets me for Christmas
-Hiding bits of God’s Word in my heart, like Psalm 121 and Philippians 3:7-14
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Ph 3:14
Happy New Year, friends!
Isn’t it wonderful to look back and recognize all the ways that God was at work behind the scenes?
It sure is!
So many good things, Bethany! Happy New Year, friend!