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!
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