Pressing Onward, Upward and Forward

The season anticipated for so long has come and gone, 

and yet the memories of it remain dear to our hearts.  

The blessings in this season of celebrating the birth of our Lord

come and go so quickly. 

Moments that we look forward to throughout the year

are here and then gone, in a blink of an eye. 

We must enjoy each one to the fullest;

savor the blessings one by one

and look forward to the new days ahead. 

 The last light of the sun on a cloudy day broke through
in realms of brilliant glory, and splattered golden goodness
over the mountains in the distance.  

As my husband and I walked together one evening,
we saw the beauty of last lilting rays of sun on the treetops,
and this little poem came to me:

As the sun pushes her most radiant efforts
through the swaths of darkening clouds
the mountains sigh with contentment
as night settles round;
while the last golden bits of sunshine
warmly toast the frosted treetops
and the waning rainbow of color
ebbs in silent grandeur;
so it is that another day
has come and passed
But not without its grand
moment of splendor. 

It was such an incredible sight to see.  The December sunsets are amazing!

The dogs and I have walked each day, regardless of the weather, 

and it really helps with the winter doldrums, as the days have been 

quite dark and cloudy this December. When the sun comes out though, right at sunset, 

it brings great joy to our hearts to see its beauty! 

Walking in the snow with Annie and Riley is a highlight of our day. 

Our Ladies Bible Study held our end of the year Christmas gathering. It was a sweet time of fellowship!

The table was set with china and candles... a delightful time was had by all!

And apple pie! My dear friend made this delicious pie, and it was scrumptious!

A peek out the window of our host's home which sits overlooking the river. 
It was snowing gently while we visited.

Our host made Broccoli and Cheese soup, and we brought sides.  

The chocolate cake was so pretty... but my favorite remained the apple pie ;) 

Our annual Painted Christmas cookie tradition! 

Our kids and their boyfriend/girlfriend came over to paint the cookies. 
We had so much fun visiting, and painting together!
If you would like the recipe, I share it on this post. 

Then we played Balderdash together... what a fun game to play with a group!
 Have you ever played Balderdash?
Our family still laughs over some of the silly definitions
coined by the players in response to the words given!

A plate of the finished painted cookies...  not only are they pretty, but they are oh so tasty! Not too sweet either, just right! 

Not sure if Mister Simba was feeling joyful or not, but it was fun capturing his sleepy face! 

A winter scene outside my window... we gave away a large amount of firewood
this year after our summertime logging event.  Some of it still is waiting to get picked up :)

Our Christmas table setting... 

And all the food... our plates (and bellies) were full!

One of my Christmas gifts gifted to me by my son... hung with care outside for the birds to enjoy. 

Brilliant afternoon skies as the sun prepares for her bedtime routine... 

Walking in the sunset hour is always pure delight!

The world is painted in purples and pinks for the evening display. 

My garden as it sleeps, illuminated in golden light with the sunset's evening display

My neighbor's barn sets a lovely backdrop for the evening light show in the skies. 
Who needs fireworks with displays like this? 

Right after Christmas, the flu bug dropped in for a visit.  Our daughter has had the flu now for four days, and is still running a fever, with a body-wracking cough, a throat that is raw and sore, chills, aching and just miserable feeling. We have tried lots of flu remedies, one of them being a face steam bath with peppermint oil, which really helps. 

On the fourth day (today), she still had 102 fever, but throughout the day has steadily improved, and her cough has lessened.  Our remedies were many, and we tried all the tricks we could think of, but really, the bug just has to run its course. Thankfully, she does seem to be feeling better tonight,
and you can be sure we are all taking immune support vitamins, and praying we don't get the dose! 

As we enter the final day of the year 2019 and final day of the decade, it is a good time to reflect upon what the past ten years have brought into our lives and to use the lessons we have learned to build upon the foundation for the years to come.

I am thankful for the blessings and the sorrows, 

for the victories and the failures 

and for every lesson learned.

These lessons are the building blocks of tomorrow;

what we have learned in our past 

will be what we use and build upon tomorrow.  

Take a few moments in the next day or two to reevaluate where you were 10 years ago
and then use that knowledge to walk on in faith into the years to come.

At the end of the year, Philippians 3 is a favorite passage of mine to read and ponder.  The Apostle Paul is reflecting on his life work for Christ, and so many powerful scriptures are penned in this chapter.  If you have a chance to read this chapter, it will be a blessing to you.

I will leave you with this verse that speaks to us today, as we leave behind one decade, and enter into another:

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

 but this one thing I do, 

forgetting those things which are behind, 

and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

I press toward the mark 

for the prize of the high calling 

of God in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 3:13-14

Let us keep pressing 

onward, 

forward and 

toward 

those things which are before us 

in Christ Jesus!