Despite having the house decorated early this year, it has been a little more difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. The weather outside has been springlike and even though we had a flurry of snow in November, it has melted away and we may not have a White Christmas this year. I have to admit I miss the snow that Kirra described as “glittery.” A recent devotion put things in perspective for me. The reason why I wasn’t feeling filled with joy this advent season was anxiety; anxiety rooted in dividing my attention from the peace of the season. My mind was focused on too many other things that prevented me from finding the peace that should surround Christmas. I needed to slow down; to stop with the hustle and bustle and refocus my attention. Centering my thoughts on Christ, brought the peace and joy I had been missing. I pray that you and your family will find many Christmas blessings this season.
An overview of our year…
In Jan/Feb, we enjoyed a trip to Maui, our happy place, with lots of fun and R & R. The dates overlapped with a a few different friends and family, so we were grateful that we got to spend time with each of them. We took surf lessons, snorkeled, watched the whales and the Maui sunsets, walked the beach, and lots of boogie boarding.
Jaret is in Grade 6 and his hobbies include chess, baseball in the spring, skiing in the winter, and hanging with friends. He finished diving just a couple of weeks ago and though he enjoyed it, he is going to take a break from it as some weeks it conflicts with youth at church and he would rather hang with his friends. A highlight from his year was when his friend Quinn (and my friend Pam) flew from Chilliwack to spend a weekend celebrating Jaret’s 12th birthday.
Kirra is in Grade 3 and loves to spend time with her friends. She is imaginative and likes to play with her American Girls, sing and dance to music, and make pictures or cards that she blesses others with. Kirra is taking dancenastics and jazz this year. She loves soccer in the spring and skiing in the winter so she is most eager for snow, and lots of it.
Terry continues to work as CFO for Compute Canada but in the fall he also took on the role of Acting CEO, which added to his travel load temporarily. He’s looking forward to a new CEO joining in the near future.
My role of Elementary VP at Bearspaw Christian School continues to keep me busy but I enjoy the job and am blessed by the students daily. I continued running this past year and completed another half-marathon; I wish I could say they got easier.
While I was wrapping up the school year, Terry took the kids camping in Kananaskis for a few days and they loved it, even though they were tenting. As soon as school was out, we took a road trip to Seattle for some ball games and 4th of July celebrations.. We also spent some time in Saskatchewan this summer with both our families. August came quickly and we spent ten days in the Shuswaps. Other highlights from the year included Kim, Jackie, and Alysha coming for a ski holiday around Easter and lots of time spent in the mountains keeping active with skiing, hiking, and a bike trip from Canmore to Banff.
Wishing you all a most blessed Christmas season - may you feel the peace that comes from celebrating the birth of Christ!
Love,
Terry, Jenn, Jaret & Kirra
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