End of the year musings

I've been trying to post something here for several days, without much success.

Not for a lack of stories, as there is always something interesting going on here. Sometimes it's small and possibly insignificant, but it means so much to me. Like watching fireworks from the Basilica on Christmas Eve, then waking up Christmas morning to the glorious sound of church bells ringing in the distance. I will never, never get tired of hearing church bells; it gives me a feeling of hope, and it helps me to remember their is a cause for continuous celebration in our lives.

Or perhaps it's something bigger, like meditating on the events of this past year, and the effect they've had on our family. Moving overseas is no small task, and it seems like that consumed the first half of our year; getting to Israel, finding an apartment, WAITING for the apartment to be ready, acquiring our visas, getting our shipment -- all that took about five months before we felt settled. Then, there's the second half of the year, where we had to deal with family health issues. My mother-in-law's husband went through major heart surgery, only to have a severe heart attack a couple weeks after the surgery. It was an emotionally trying time for all of us, but it was especially difficult for my MIL. Thankfully, we were able to visit them later on in the fall, and Ed is recovering nicely. I think seeing the grandkids really picked up their spirits.

Then, there was hubby's accident in London. I can't even convey to you the fear I felt when I got that phone call the week before Thanksgiving. When he told me he had been hit by a car while crossing the street, a million situations raced through my mind, each worse than the last -- paralysis, blindness, severe internal bleeding -- that it was (almost) a relief when hubby said that he had a broken leg. While I don't want to minimize his suffering, I was honestly thankful at that point. It was bad, but it could have been so much worse, especially after how active my imagination had been. He is still in recovery mode, and has a doctor appointment on Monday to have x-rays done and see how the healing is progressing.

This is definitely not the hardest year I've ever had, but it's a close second. I feel like I've been on an emotional roller-coaster for the past 12 months (well, to be honest, it's more like 18 months), and I'm tired. I'm weary. This has been my desert year, in more ways than one. I feel like I've aged three years instead of one.

There have been some bright patches though. When I was in the States, I offered to sing a song in Arabic for my parents' church. I was having a hard time choosing a song, but finally settled on one of my favorites, ادخل لقدسك (I enter Your holiness). When I got word of hubby's accident, it was right before I was scheduled to sing at church. The words of the song are so powerful, but the chorus is particularly moving. It was my prayer to the Lord for my husband that Sunday morning:

فتعال بروحك أبصر مجدك
الآن سلطان الله لنا شفاء من يدك
الآن أنهار مياه لنا حياة بروحك

(So come by Your Spirit, I see Your Glory
And now, power of God, heal us by Your hand
Rivers of water bring us life by Your Spirit)

This is my continuing prayer for our family, that we will see His glory in the midst of our trials and suffering.

Another happy moment was all of us reuniting at the airport ten days ago. It was so wonderful to have all of us together again, after being apart for three months that I wept with relief. Nothing could have been better than having us all together, especially before Christmas. My cup overfloweth.

So, that brings me to the end of my thoughts, what I've been mulling over for the past couple of weeks. I'm hoping that next year will be boring for a change. Nothing exciting, save for a little family vacation over the summer. However, I know that probably won't be the case. With the Millers Abroad, something interesting is always bound to happen.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends. May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Num 6:24-26)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends everywhere!

Finished... finally

Now that I have it out of my system, it's time to move on. A couple of things I've learned from reading this series:
1. I will ALWAYS try to keep up with what my kids are reading. I was surprised that there are parents who are letting their tween daughters read this stuff. Maybe surprised is the wrong word... disappointed maybe? I know how wrapped up I get when I'm reading books -- I tune out EVERYTHING and completely immerse myself in the book, ask my hubby -- so it made me a little uncomfortable reading, uh, certain parts. No incredibly graphic details, but I would say it's at least PG-13 material. I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's very personal moments.
2. I will try to discuss said material with my kids. I know, I know, it's uncomfortable stuff, but I realize that, if I were a teenager, this kind of novel would just add to my warped perception of what love and marriage should look like. It's kind of like a modern day, twisted fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, no one (except a few of the bad guys) dies, and the "princess" (Bella) gets everything she thought she wanted, plus a few bonuses. I kept waiting for her to suffer, and she did (to a certain extent), but nothing long-lasting. Not like Harry Potter, where the main character suffers much, losing many of his loved ones, but decides to take the right, rather than the easy path. By Book 7 of HP, I was very impressed with Harry. Not so with Bella.

I'm moving on to JA's Persuasion (the only Austen book I haven't read yet), then perhaps Les Miserables. I need to purge my mind with some classics.

If anyone is in the mood for vampire stories, read Dracula or The Historian. Much better literature.

Time in the UK

So, this week has been nice. Despite the fact that hubby is still in recovery mode from the broken leg, we've managed to do a couple of fun things while I'm here. On Thursday I went to St. Paul's Cathedral in London for their annual Thanksgiving Service. Thousands of the American ex-pats (as well as some locals) show up for this beautiful service every year. The pastors from the local American church congregations, as well as the Abassador himself, put together an amazing service, complete with all our favorite hymns and ending with "America the Beautiful" (I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it; that song is really one of my favorites!). Sorry there aren't any pictures from the service, but none were allowed.

Outside Saint Paul's Cathedreal

Inside the church. Isn't it amazing?

Then, on Friday, we left London to have a fabulous belated Thanksgiving out in the English countryside! That's right all you Jane Austen fans, we were out in the middle of nowhere, spending time with extended family and their friends. Everyone was so kind and hospitable during our stay in England! Here are a few pictures from our time there:

Our first night out together. Yummy Japanese food!

The house out in Suffolk

Inside "The Barn" -- an old pig barn that was converted into... this. Wow.

A view of the backyard. This is a wheat field, but as you can see, it's past harvest time. Oh, and in the distance, there's a tiny little church. Very Austenesque, don't you think?

That's all I have for now. I'll post pictures of our time in Edinburgh when I return to the States. My tummy is rumbling and ready for some food! Cheers!