I’m Blessed

I’m really looking forward to writing this post today.  I don’t have any major change in our family or my life to announce.  I’m just looking forward to meditating on this subject right now.

#1:  This weekend Knut and the kids and I went to our favorite cross country ski gaard and went out for a candlelit ski by moonlight.  Well, in daylight we skied together, and after dark Knut and I took shifts skiing with a couple kids, or staying back at the ski house with the little ones.  There was one moment where the moon was shining, the stars were out, and candles in paper bags lined the trail.  David was skiing ahead of me, and Silje was just behind me.  Silje started to sing a Christmas carol…

“Star of wonder, star of night.  Star with royal beauty bright.”

It was magical to say the least.

#2 Solveig these days.  She’s taking her middle name “Joy” quite seriously.  I mean, really seriously.  I dare anyone to try to be sad or frustrated while being around this little one.  She’s hilarious, and cute and she has stolen the hearts of her parents, each and every one of her siblings (especially Elias who will wake her up just to see her “whys” and sings her songs just to see her smile, and insists that he accompanies me to pick her up from naps).

She’s at that age where everything she does makes us smile and is adorably cute.  I love this age.

I’m enjoying things like her saying “Mama” and calling Silje “Ya-Ya” and the way she stares at me when I lay her down for a nap, and the way she studies and mimics pretty much everything anyone is doing around her.  I love how she gives me wet slobbery kisses all the time, and I have to pry her off me like a wet slobbery starfish.

Sigh.  Slow down biddy girl.

#3 This last week I found out one of my great uncles passed away.  I was blessed to know many of my great aunts and uncles.  What I remember about Uncle Wilf is him and his wife (Auntie Evie) who were married for at least 50 years I’m sure.  She passed away a few years ago after struggling with Alzheimer’s for several years.  She was so cute when my sister and I were still living at home and my parents would take us to see them in their late retirement at their little trailer house that had green plastic carpet outside as their “grass”. 

She’d tell us over and over again how happy she was we came.  She asked our names about every 10 minutes or so, and when we told her again, she told us how much she loved us.  The best part was she couldn’t remember that she had just given us a cookie a few minutes earlier so we always got our fill of treats at their house.

What I remember about Uncle Wilf was the way he looked at Auntie Evie with such love, and then look at my sister and I and say things like “Isn’t my bride lovely?”  He probably didn’t know it then, but he was teaching us teenagers in moments like those what to look for in a husband. 

Wilf and Evie were missionaries for many years in East Asia (I’m pretty sure it’s Thailand) for the majority of their marriage.  Her ashes are there now, and his will soon be joining her there.  Well, he’s actually joining her in heaven. 

I’ve lost too many “greats” (aunts and uncles) this last year.  It’s difficult seeing a generation pass away.  It’s so difficult because I want them here to tell me the stories again, and to share the family recipes and tell about Christ and the wonderful things He has done.  So many of them just couldn’t stop talking about Christ…

I’m blessed to have known each and every one of them.  So, so blessed.

To participate in this weekly event, you can either leave a comment saying how you’re blessed or leave a link to your blog post.  To do the latter:
1)write a blog post on how God has blessed you.
2)put a link to this blog in your post so that others can easily reach this list.
3)put the link to your blog post below.
Easy Peasy.