I've often wondered why it seems like the days go by so much faster than it seemed they used too.  Upon reflecting on these past few months it's very obvious why that is for me. 

In these past months we have done so much, so much that I didn't think I would have the time to accomplish it all.  Jake left for his new job in sunny California back in February, this left me with much to much to do.  I had a home to prepare for sale, keep it in ready to sell condition, (no easy feat with 3 children) home school the kids, run here, there and everywhere to wrap up life in our area we lived, negotiate the sale and all the other junk that went with it, then pack and move.  That was a lot for a 2 1/2 month time frame.  We made it through, even though there were many mountains to climb along the way.  It was a huge pain, and by far the hardest move I have ever had to make in my life. My heart ached for my kids as they said goodbye to friends, and a home they loved.  This move signified so many broken dreams for our family, it was the end of a chapter that went in a drastically different direction than planned.  Through it all though, I was reminded how insignificant this all is in the grand scheme of life.  These were things that we put our heart and soul into, and while it hurt to watch it go down the drain, we were okay.  Not only were we going to be okay, we were provided for, loved, and gently guided down a path that made us stronger.  While I cannot say that I would love to do that again, I am so thankful that we were able to experience what we have been through, because without these things going on in our life, we wouldn't be who we are today.  My life is good, even in the trials and the irritations, these things have been so minor. 
A friend of ours from our time in Canada was recently diagnosed with cancer.  He has a young family, 2 little boys aged 3 and 1, and a wonderfully strong wife.  They have battled the fight of their lives, bravely and with faith that they would get through. As the updates came, some days were good, and others, well they sounded horrible.  Our friend Dave lost his battle with cancer this past week, and his wife's father passed away 2 days before her husband.  My heart aches for this family that is now broken, I cannot imagine how they must feel.  Life is so precious, we have to cherish every moment, even the ugly moments.
I can look back on these last few months and see how easily we can let the minor details of life interfere with our ability to see the bigger picture.  Life can be hard, thankfully we can and will continue through it, no matter what comes our way.  

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by!  I remember last Christmas vividly, it's unbelievable that like a flash of light another year has passed. 
This month is always way more busy than I would like it to be.  There is so much packed in to this month it leaves little time to enjoy the season at all.  It seems that this year is a bit worse than normal as far as things going on.  We will be leaving for our Christmas vacation on the 17th, which leaves little time between now and then to do what I have to do!  I've often wondered why we cram so much into the Christmas season...why do we wait to be with family, have parties, get together with friends and do many, many  church activities.  It seems like we are so disconnected from everyone until this time of year, and then we try to get as much in as possible.  It's very distracting from what the focus should be, and I find myself wrapped up in it all, just like everyone else!  It would be nice if we didn't leave it all for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we could focus on sharing what we should about the reason we celebrate.  When did we all become so things and stuff oriented that we forgot about the little ones watching our every move, watching to model what we do and say.  I look at my children and wonder what I have shown them as important, I think it might make me sick if I really knew.  Every year when this season rolls around there is a sense of uncertainty and a little chaos mixed in that pulls our attention in directions that would make anyone feel crazy.  Life is like that for us...crazy!  I think it has become the new normal, not sure how to feel about that!  We are praying for direction and answers this Christmas season, I have a feeling things are going to get a bit more chaotic in the coming weeks.  We shall see. 
I hope you all are able to take a little breather this Christmas and slow things down and just enjoy your families and the hope that we were all given because of Christ's birth.  Love you all!