Happy New Year!

I know I have been absent awhile but I have been really busy! I went home for a week for Christmas and was on the run literally the whole time! My mom always makes lists of things she wants to do so we keep busy. It was a nice time home and I always get emotional when I have to go. This time was especially hard because we had to say goodbye to my grandma's house. It has been sold and will have a new owner soon. Growing up we moved around A LOT and I never really had a place to call home. Home was basically where my family was not a location. I did however have one place that I always thought of as my home and that was my grandma's house. My sister and I spent so much of our lives there growing up. My grandparent's never seemed to be upset that we were always just coming over. We loved the safe loving feeling you got when you went. Grandma always welcomed you with open arms and made you feel like you were the best thing ever. So saying goodbye to that place was like saying goodbye to my own house. So many memories around every corner and nobody could ever replace that in my mind. There is a song my grandma and my mom and aunts sing called home and its so perfect for the way I feel about that place. They sang it at her funeral and it was such a tribute to her.

When shadows fall
And trees whisper, "Day is ending",
My thoughts are forever wending home.
When crickets call,
My heart is forever yearning
Once more to be returning home.

When the hills conceal the setting sun,
Stars begin a-peeping, one by one.
Night covers all,
And though fortune may forsake me,
Sweet dreams will ever take me home.

One other thing I wanted to mention when I went home is our family singalong. We love to sing around the piano till none of us have a voice anymore. This rarely happens because we are all spread out and dont get to come together very often. I love it when we sing we sound really good. I know that sounds arrogant but we really do sound good. Everyone sings a different part and we blend really well! Anyway we were going through singing everybody's favorite Christmas song and my brother Mark wanted Once in Royal David's City. I thought that was interesting that he chose that song out of all the more popular ones. So I asked him why it was his favorite and he said because of the 3rd verse. So I read it and it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful verse that brings peace and comfort! I love our Hymns! Here is the last verse:

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And He leads His children on,
To the place where He is gone.