Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010!


“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1

Merry Christmas 2010! We love you, and thank God for each and every one of you!

A little girl was taking a walk with her father one evening. Looking up at the stars she exclaimed, “O Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!”

On May 19th, 2010, my dad went home to be with Jesus. A musician his whole life, he is now presented faultless, in perfect harmony, to our heavenly Father. We are getting use to “The new norm,” without my dad. I miss our Friday morning coffee hour together, just him and me. My sister, brothers, and I now have the honor and privelidge of taking care of our mom and helping her adjust to life without the man she spent 54 years with, the guy who adored her! Thank you for all your prayers, and for the outpouring of love to my family. Many of you interrupted your own lives effortlessly for a month and walked us through a difficult trial….making meals…taking my kids….visiting us in the hospital…praying with us…we are eternally grateful. God’s grace was truly sufficient….moment by moment…..

The Book my mom and I wrote was accepted for royalty publication last January! It is in the final stages of production, ready to go to Marketing. What a fun journey this has been for mom and me. The title of the book is Andti’s Antics. It is a story about a girl (Emeline) who struggles with ADD. Feisty Andi tells her story with a tender touch, sharing how she “ADDs” pizzazz to her world, hoping to send a message that God has created all of us special! Please pray for us as we reach out to many girls (and boys) through the book!

Other highlights - As a family we just like to have fun! Each day we begin with devotions, thanking God for all we have, praying that He will show us opportunities to serve Him. I insist the boys pray that they will be nicer to each other or at least stop beating each other up!! Traveling is in our blood, so any opportunity we can go..we do!! We love camping with our friends, my favorite activity is when the parents play flag football with the kids…..yes us moms jump in too!! Then of course there is the beach, Camp-of-the-Woods, and Nantucket, my personal “fave”…..where we go turtle hunting, squid hunting, watch sunsets on the beach, and make daily stops at “The Dump” where you get all kinds of junk for free!

Emeline – Jersey #59. She still loves soccer and soccer loves her! Her soccer travels will take her to Orlando in January and Virginia in March. We continue to encourage her to enjoy the game, have fun, and be a light to her teammates. So far…so good. School is going quite well for Emeline, she loves to work hard. She also enjoys serving our community with The Girl Scouts (I think her leader is an angel..seriously). She enjoys Junior High activities at church which includes a Girl’s Bible study (LJ3), and an additional Bible study with a small group of lovely young ladies seeking to grow and mature in Jesus. Emeline has raised support for materials to make blankets for the homeless this winter. We have started delivering the blankets as a family. Heading downtown Philly made us all nervous at first, now we can’t wait to go back! Check out our blanket adventures, www.utterlydeb.blogspot.com

Samuel – We are both in fourth grade this year! Sam seems to be smarter than me! He is doing well. Recently he was asked to write a bio on himself. He wrote “I’m neat, I’m kind, and I love Jesus with all my heart.” He is so sensitive to what is right and what is wrong….we all need a ‘Sam’ around us! Sam loves to play Tackle Football, and Lacrosse. This year he ran the ball successfully quite a bit, scoring many touchdowns for the team. I’m always thankful he comes out of it alive every week! Sam’s latest hobby is “Trash Picking”. He has found some real treasures, and even sells items on e-bay to raise money for the Go-cart he would like to purchase. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Zachary – Is in second grade, ready to set the world on fire! Anyone who knows Zachary will tell you that he always has a smile on his face, and he is always ready to have fun! Sometimes that gets him in trouble. Zach is also on a travel soccer team, and loves the game. My challenge to Zachary is to always honor God with every goal he scores, because “it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being…”. Both boys participated in a Kids Triathlon last summer. They finished the race within a second of each other. Sam was just one step ahead of his little brother.

All three swam for LMT Swim Team this year. It is my favorite sport they do! This year I accepted the position of Co-Meet Director. What a big job…but oh the fun we had! Emeline participated in a relay that broke an LMT record….the thrill of it all! I LOVE our community!

Steve – is busy with the Snow business. He has a great team of “Snow People” working for him! I always pray for less stress for Steve, but there’s a part of it that he thrives on! Steve is the most amazing dad to our kids…..he plays, teaches, prays, and guides them daily. All three adore Steve. He just arrived home from a quick trip to Germany to celebrate a family 60th wedding anniversary. I was happy he was able to go, but happier when he came home safe and sound. The fall was busy for Steve with coaching Sam’s football team, and he enjoys attending a Men’s Bible study throughout the year.

Me – I celebrated a very large (really BIG) birthday this year! Friends came from near and far to celebrate this “Birthday girl”, yet I was celebrating them. I wanted to thank them for being my friend, for seeing the best in me, standing by me, laughing, and crying with me. For letting me be “real” with them…and still loving me. “A friend loves at all times.” Thank you sweet girlfriends! My life is richer for knowing each and every one of you! My ordinary days include interruptions to interrupt the interruptions! I hope to continue to substitute teach, I love working with kids! The Bible study I co-facilitate is going well; we are all growing and learning about God’s will in our lives. My daily goal for each day is to rest in Him, and His Word alone. Life is still utterly chaotic, yet we are utterly o.k.

In closing, I pray for God’s blessing on your families. Take the hands of those you love, look into their eyes, and tell them how much you love them! May your desire for 2011 be…”Reaching forward to what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal.” Philippians 3:13-14

By His Amazing Grace………….Stephen, Debbie, Emeline, Samuel, and Zachary

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