Twinsight 52: Have Yourself an Authentic, Abundant Christmas

The older I get, the more I want my life to be simply authentic. Just be real. Genuine. I also have a deep passion to seek and receive the fullness of what God has for me and those around me. Not in a materialistic way. In a deeply abundant way.

So that’s the lens through which I write this Christmas post. As I think back on 2012, there has been a lot of real life, day-to-day living with our share of ups and downs and laughs and angst. Through it all, has given us incredible blessing through His guidance, provision, courage and opportunities to grow and serve others that we are grateful for. Here's an update on our family.

Pabby: Run * Guard * Cuddle
I’ll start with Pabby since he never gets to be first. He basically lives a charmed life. He’s our eight-year-old Schoodle who has turned into a sweet, middle-aged dog. He still likes to go running (more slowly now…just like me), but also is content to lie around. His favorite spot is sitting guard at the top of our spiral staircase so he can protect our family from any killer squirrels or stray cats who happen to wander by.  At night, he loves to curl up in a ball on the couch or lie near one of us and cuddle. The only real stress he has in his life is when Leah leaves to go back to school which causes him to go on a 24-hour hunger strike in protest.



Our sweet boy, Pab.

Pabby watching as Leah goes back to school.
 

Chloe: Vocalize * Socialize * Connect

Our soon-to-be sweet 16-year-old, Chloe, is a sophomore at Minnetonka High School.  You always know where she is in the house because she is expressing herself in some way nearly every waking minute—singing, talking, humming and the like (usually while texting, of course). She was rather burned out on the violin so she switched to choir and is simply loving it. She had the opportunity to be in MHS’s performance of The Secret Garden this fall and made a great group of new friends. She also continues to have a wonderful small group and community of friends at our church, Westwood, and serves with young kids. And, she had a fun summer job at the Dairy Queen. Did I mention studying? It's not her first love, but somehow she manages to make it all happen!
 

Chloe (bright orange top and shades, toward the right) with friends on a Colorado trip with church.

Chloe and I celebrating Andrea's (our niece's) graduation from Calvin College with her.

Chloe (top row toward the right) with some of her cast mates in The Secret Garden.

Leah: Seek * Study * Cook

Our soon-to-be-20-something, Leah, is a sophomore at Bethel University in St. Paul. She went into college thinking that she would study something health related, but found out that she’s allergic to chemistry. (Aren’t most of us?!) She has been very diligent about finding her sweet spot and has been exploring lots of options. This fall she switched her major to Accounting and Finance and is feeling much more settled and grateful for God’s guidance and the counsel of others. She’s a focused student (and tells us “funny” accounting jokes to which we say, “Could you repeat the punch line?”), and also enjoys working at the campus bookstore. She’s made some dear friends and navigates campus life well. And, she loves the adventure of planning our next family trip and preparing for when she can travel abroad next. During the summer, she had a couple of part-time nanny jobs, enjoyed the lake, served with young kids at church and did a lot of cooking for us which we all appreciated.

Leah with her Bethel roommate, Rachel, when we all went to Phoenix.

Leah with her cousin, Sonia, at her graduation party from Wayzata High School.

Leah with her Bethel friend, Allie.

Leah and Chloe with North Dakota cousins, Jackson and Taylor.

Steve: Create * Serve * Sing

Steve has had the opportunity to do some really interesting video projects this year in his work with Lighthouse Media—both for medical device companies as well as non-profits. His highlight was a major product launch at Medtronic. When he’s not working, he's serving our family in some way. He does the laundry, stays on top of the outdoor work, runs errands, and frequently transports Chloe from point A to point B. He also enjoys family movie night, neighborhood walks and boat cruises as well as singing in the church choir. To bond with the other male in our family, Steve has tried to match Pabby’s hair highlights. They both now have a quite distinguished salt and pepper blend.

Jo: Adjust * Juggle * Pray

As I think back on the year personally, I’m not sure where it went! It started on a deeply sad note with our dear friend, Nancy, dying on the two-year anniversary of my mom’s death. Then the downtown Hewitt/Aon Hewitt office that I’d worked in for 14 years moved into our Aon offices in Bloomington. So the beginning of the year involved a lot of adjustment which was good to process with others. But I've had the opportunity to do some really interesting health engagement work, serve in new ways at our church, and enjoy meaningful conversations and lots of laughs with friends. God has also deepened my desire to simply pray about everything. I was particularly moved by a book called The Circle Maker that I read this year.

During this season, we wish you daily authentic moments that bring lift and joy to your life and the incredible abundance that Jesus ushered in for us on that first Christmas.