2022: Be Still & Know
God is so patient with us, and so gracious. This year was full of God's sweet reminders of His presence, goodness, grace, provision, and love.
FAMILY
We had so much to be thankful for, with the recovery of my aunt and my cousin's husband from Covid, the latter of which can truly be called a miracle. For my niece's birthday, my sister and I took her and her brother to the zoo for the first time. My mom and I did a short weekend in Delaware. We went to a new location for our annual fall family vacation. Fun evening chats on the phone with my sister and mom and surprise visits from my brother.
FRIENDS
Hikes and a new church connect group; friends got married, and friends had babies. A fun weekend camping trip with friends at Black Moshannon State Park. Visiting the Lancaster Liederkranz Oktoberfest with a friend (where we confused everyone by not drinking), which gave me a chance to wear my Dirndl somewhere and made me long for Germany. Introduced a couple of friends to the Ephrata Cloister and happened to be there at just the right time to listen to some beautiful singing.
ME & MY HOUSE
Experienced the first power outage at my house. Added more finishing touches, all of which were laced with the touch of family and friends: curtains, a working shower, new bathroom sink, a small couch, and finally, a small housewarming party. I enjoyed discovering flowers in my yard as spring unfolded. I watched fireworks from my house, seeing three different locations. Finally, I could bring fall to my house with pumpkins on my stairs. On Thanksgiving, the one year anniversary of moving in!
I was blessed to be welcomed back to HMS to speak at their middle school chapel; had a poem published in Popshot Quarterly, a UK-based magazine; attended my first Lancaster Christian Writers meeting, of which I am excited to be a part.
PRAISING AMID LOSS & TRAGEDY
It was the summer of Jesus Rallies in Ephrata, a weekly time of worship and praise and baptism and seeing God do so many wonders under a white tent. The very first night I went with a friend, and, with others around us joining to pray for her back, got to witness her back pain healed.
A week later, after a fun afternoon with friends and coworkers kayaking, swimming, and relaxing in the grass eating snacks at a lake, we experienced having to see a 20-year-old young man from another group drown. It was a subdued drive home, during which I allowed myself to ask, once, "Why, God?" And there, on a sign we passed, were the words "Be still and know." As it was difficult to sleep the next few nights as I kept seeing that man slip under the water, I clung to the soothing words of Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God." He is there through it all, even when we don't understand. My worship felt different at the next Jesus Rally.
Then there was the day at work when three young girls, employees, went for a drive on their break and after a tragic accident, one of them went to the hospital and two would never return. Amid the heartbreak and difficult days ahead for so many in my workplace, still God's comforting presence remained for those who looked to Him.
An especially powerful night of worship under the tent found me and another friend immersed in the goodness and majesty of God, hands raised and feet lifting from the ground. (Months later, just the mention of a freight train brought us back to the joy of His presence.)
And yet, there were more tough days for so many. Several coworkers lost family members or dear ones, and we were all shocked when another employee passed away unexpectedly in her sleep.
In Psalm 61:1, David cries out to the Lord, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." How God sustained and comforted, including through the prayers and comfort of others, those who were overwhelmed.
WORK & THE BIG CHANGE
At work, I grew to hate the word "silverware," as there never seemed to be enough to go around, especially the busier we were. One holiday weekend in particular I literally prayed that the silverware would multiply that weekend, and that we would have leftovers, just as when Jesus fed the 5,000. God didn't disappoint - instead of removing carts of silverware, despite being busy, we were bringing in more, and when all was said and done, we had carts left over! But still, I didn't like the word silverware. Especially spoons.
Throughout the rest of the year (besides struggling with silverware, scheduling, and being yelled at by crazy customers at least once a day), I also cultured some of my employees on The Sound of Music, children's literature, and started a "word of the week" - per their request. (They also informed me of some "in-style" words and what they meant...quite personally, I prefer the classic definition of those words!)
And then, in a way that could have only been God putting things in place, after ten years at Shady Maple Smorgasbord, I took a position at a new job. It shocked my coworkers and staff, but they said goodbye with hugs, a few tears, and blessings, well wishes, and cards. A few weeks later some of them even surprised me with a little dinner get together. It was certainly a change of seasons, but I had such a peace in my life after changing jobs, despite missing many of the people I had grown to know.
BOOKS READ
In 2022, I read a total of 192 books - 54,170 pages. That's 16 books per month or 3.7 per week!
Besides reading some old favorites and many random library books whose titles I have long forgotten, some of my favorites of those 192 books include:
Find Your People - Jennie Allen. An inspiring and practical book about the importance of building community.
Joseph of Nazareth - George Cooper. The author is part of the Lancaster Christian Writers, and I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalization of the life of Jesus' earthly father.
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope - Ian Doescher. I think this one needs no explanation as to it's wonderful qualities - and I recently discovered there's one for each movie!
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World - Debbie Tung. A book made of comics, I could thoroughly relate, and finished the book with a sense of wonder that someone else knew exactly how I felt.
MUSIC OF 2022
Books aren't the only words that speak to me; music has its own special place in my life. There were so many good songs this year that have blessed me in various ways, and it was hard to choose which to highlight, but here are some favorites.
Though I love basically any song by Benjamin Hastings, and he released so many beautiful songs in 2022, a few that spoke to me the most were Homeword, Eden, and Feels Like A Blessing. Kristene Dimarco also had so many with deep, meaningful lyrics, but I would highly suggest Wherever You Lead and Don't Pass Me By.
Some other favorites include Honey In The Rock by Brooke Ligertwood and Brandon Lake; Build A Boat by Colton Dixon; Sound Mind by Bryan and Katie Torwalt; Freight Train by Lindy Conant; Behold Him by The Worship Initiative.
LESSONS LEARNED
God never stops teaching us if we're willing to learn, and He had several lessons for me this year. Here is just a quick snapshot on a couple of them.
2022 began with instructions to be fearless, and I did a little study on all the "do not fear"s in the Bible. He kept reminding me to step out, and to not fear.
All year long, God was teaching me how to receive, which is something I was never very good at; but all year long, friends, family, and coworkers/staff have so blessed me - giving of their time, of gifts for my house, of food and fellowship, of words on cards, and other random gifts. It took a while, but I realized I was supposed to be learning to receive in this season, and that I am loved for who I am.
And of course, the lesson to be still and know that He is God, and He is good, and He is always enough.
2022 was such a blessed year, and I am excited to see what God will do in 2023.
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