2013 comes to a close....Goodbye, hello???

Goodbye year 2013, you've been an interesting twelve months but we have to move on to a brand new year now, filled with possibilities and challenges.

The year has come to a close and I realized that I haven't been here in over a month, almost two now and sadly I haven't visited you much in that time.  I guess I should make a resolution now to be better about visiting.......I resolve to try, how's that?  But I do not resolve to use prepositions right......I just can't fight that fight this year.  

Several posts were started about me and the Superhero taking our annual Christmas card photo, but time just seemed to get away.  Then I was going to post about our grandson's first birthday, but time just kept on trooping along, things getting in the way and suddenly it was Thanksgiving and I was going to post about our family get together.   

And then....... well then we got the news that changed our whole way of thinking........our whole family's way of life.......my precious sister had a suspicious mammogram, then a biopsy then the news with that word no one wants to hear.....cancer.  Quite frankly, we were all shocked and terrified.  There were uncertainties that had to be determined and we started praying and asking others to pray.  We started seeing answers to prayer all around and in each situation.  God moved and the Christmas miracle for 2013 was that the cancer was not in any other part of her body!  

Several of us went over for the results of the PET scan and praised God as the doctor gave us the good/bad news.....she did indeed have breast cancer but it hadn't spread to any other site in her body.  Afterwards, drained but a bit relieved, we went to Cathy's favorite place to eat and this is what the waitress wrote on her receipt.  

If I have learned one thing from blogging, it is that prayer spreads around the world at a rapid pace and that God hears the prayers of His people.  So let me just assure you now that every prayer is appreciated!  Please add my sister to your personal prayer list and your church prayer chain.


And the treatment began.....

This week will be the fourth treatment with twenty to go, then surgery.  We firmly grasp hold to the belief that she will be completely healed and well at the end of this journey.  But a journey it is and as journeys often are, it isn't an easy one......there are days of tears and uncertainties and fears......  but we have a sovereign God and know that He is in control and that comforts!

Funny how time passes no matter what is going on in our lives and 2013 has gone and 2014 is here holding it's secrets and seasons for us to discover along the way.

Just a few things that happened in 2013 in pictures....and in no particular order.....

Grandson #1 came to visit

Granddaughter #1 came too, but this year they came at different times so we got to have one on one time with both

Grandson Charley came to visit while "Dashley" was here and had a good time with her

Son, David and his wife Arwen became grandparents on the first day of 2013

Another grandson came to live in Florida this year

An old friend, almost son, got married

The Superhero's mom had knee replacement surgery and we spent a few days in the hospital

Got together with some old, young friends

Said goodbye to some friends who moved 

Great grandson came to visit

Grandson # 2Charley got a new baby brother....grandson #3 and spent part of 2013 deciding to let him stay..... 

and then becoming best friends for life

I got a new car

Got to see these almost daughters and their children for a few short hours

Not nearly enough of this

Mama turned 90 and all her children were with her on her birthday

We added to our family.....welcome to Andrew and all his family......Andrew and niece Christina got married at midnight on the last day of 2013

The Superhero and I did self portraits again this year and some of them weren't suitable for printing, but some were ok

Trying to keep God's Word hidden in our hearts and living in our lives

Granddaughter #2 and her husband and baby came to visit

Sweet friends visited

We gained a new Ugandan son

A good friend got married.....what a celebration

Another couple of friends got married

Of course, that's not nearly all that happened in 2013, but if I wrote it all down you might want to have me committed!  

It was a good year, it was a sad year, it was a year of ups and downs.  It's over and now ready or not, here we are 2014!

I hope it's a good year for all of us here in the blog world.