2016 - A Year in Review!!
It is this time of year that allows us to slow down from our regular routines and ponder the year that is quickly coming to a close. So much has happened, so much has changed. Where we find ourselves today is far from where we thought we would be and far from where we started. Some changes have been celebrated and others met with bitter disappointment, but one thing is for sure, each one has changed us irrevocably and influenced the person that we are today.
We started the year with a plethera of hospital stays and doctors appointments. My mom was sick... very sick. We went from heart specialists to kidney specialists to oncologists. None of them had the answers to what would solve all the issues. Rather, we heard again and again the the human body is a complicated compilation of organs that need to maintain a delicate balance. Her body was out of balance and we were struggling to find it back. There WERE good days! Days that were spent together sharing stories and memories. These are the days that I cling to today. She went home to her Lord and Savior in March. A few short years after saying goodbye to my dad, we were forced to say goodbye to my mom as well. I am convinced that she died of a broken heart. She loved us, but she simply missed my dad too much to stay.
In the Spring, we were able to celebrate the graduations of our two oldest children. Ashtyn graduated with a degree in Psychology from Alma college. Tyce graduated from Zeeland East High School. Great achievements by both kids. The time has flown by so quickly!
The summer brought busy work schedules for all three kids. There were laughs shared by all as they prepared for the time when they would be forced to move on to their next adventures.
The dawning of fall brought many, many changes...Ashtyn was off to Boston for a year of student teaching/tutoring in a charter school, Tyce was off to Cornerstone University to begin his freshman year, and Reagan began her senior year of high school. Kraig and I had the opportunity to visit Alaska, a life-long dream. We spent 10 days traveling throughout the state in a rented RV. It was the adventure of the lifetime. The scenery was awe inspiring..,.God's handywork in all its splendor.
Everyone was settling in nicely. Routines were beginning to take shape. Ashtyn was adjusting to her new assignments and living conditions. Tyce was meeting new people and finding new activities to be involved in, all while continuing to serve as a Youth Ministry Leader for a group of middle school boys at a local church. And Reagan was busy working, studying and applying to colleges. Then I got the call...
Tyce had been off to a middle school all-nighter, which started at a trampoline park. Tyce called and said that he had hurt himself. That was the start of a ride that will last for many months to come. The initial ER visit left us feeling unsure and uninformed. The days that followed brought more of the same, until a doctor friend of ours got involved. Then things began to move quickly...a whirlwind of tests and appointments... and surgery was set for 2 days before Thanksgiving. His injuries were extensive: MCL, LCL, and both Meniscus torn and dislodged. We are now 4 weeks post-surgery and he is still non-weight bearing. The next appointment will take place the end of January. We are hoping that we will get the go-ahead to start therapy and begin to use the leg again at that point. Navigating campus (especially the cafeteria) has been a lesson in humility. So, we are ending the year, much the way we started it.
So, that brings us all the way back to Christmas, again! We meet the season with some hesitation because there is a void that cannot be filled, but we also meet it with great expectation for what God has in store. We know that Reagan will celebrate graduation and begin a new adventure at the college of her choosing. We pray that Tyce will continue to heal and be able to meet his college career head-on. We will wait and wonder as Ashtyn finishes her year in Boston and decides what will be next on the horizon. Whatever this year brings, we will meet it with excitement and wonder because we know that God's plan for our lives is greater than anything we could dream on our own.
We started the year with a plethera of hospital stays and doctors appointments. My mom was sick... very sick. We went from heart specialists to kidney specialists to oncologists. None of them had the answers to what would solve all the issues. Rather, we heard again and again the the human body is a complicated compilation of organs that need to maintain a delicate balance. Her body was out of balance and we were struggling to find it back. There WERE good days! Days that were spent together sharing stories and memories. These are the days that I cling to today. She went home to her Lord and Savior in March. A few short years after saying goodbye to my dad, we were forced to say goodbye to my mom as well. I am convinced that she died of a broken heart. She loved us, but she simply missed my dad too much to stay.
In the Spring, we were able to celebrate the graduations of our two oldest children. Ashtyn graduated with a degree in Psychology from Alma college. Tyce graduated from Zeeland East High School. Great achievements by both kids. The time has flown by so quickly!
The summer brought busy work schedules for all three kids. There were laughs shared by all as they prepared for the time when they would be forced to move on to their next adventures.
The dawning of fall brought many, many changes...Ashtyn was off to Boston for a year of student teaching/tutoring in a charter school, Tyce was off to Cornerstone University to begin his freshman year, and Reagan began her senior year of high school. Kraig and I had the opportunity to visit Alaska, a life-long dream. We spent 10 days traveling throughout the state in a rented RV. It was the adventure of the lifetime. The scenery was awe inspiring..,.God's handywork in all its splendor.
Everyone was settling in nicely. Routines were beginning to take shape. Ashtyn was adjusting to her new assignments and living conditions. Tyce was meeting new people and finding new activities to be involved in, all while continuing to serve as a Youth Ministry Leader for a group of middle school boys at a local church. And Reagan was busy working, studying and applying to colleges. Then I got the call...
Tyce had been off to a middle school all-nighter, which started at a trampoline park. Tyce called and said that he had hurt himself. That was the start of a ride that will last for many months to come. The initial ER visit left us feeling unsure and uninformed. The days that followed brought more of the same, until a doctor friend of ours got involved. Then things began to move quickly...a whirlwind of tests and appointments... and surgery was set for 2 days before Thanksgiving. His injuries were extensive: MCL, LCL, and both Meniscus torn and dislodged. We are now 4 weeks post-surgery and he is still non-weight bearing. The next appointment will take place the end of January. We are hoping that we will get the go-ahead to start therapy and begin to use the leg again at that point. Navigating campus (especially the cafeteria) has been a lesson in humility. So, we are ending the year, much the way we started it.
So, that brings us all the way back to Christmas, again! We meet the season with some hesitation because there is a void that cannot be filled, but we also meet it with great expectation for what God has in store. We know that Reagan will celebrate graduation and begin a new adventure at the college of her choosing. We pray that Tyce will continue to heal and be able to meet his college career head-on. We will wait and wonder as Ashtyn finishes her year in Boston and decides what will be next on the horizon. Whatever this year brings, we will meet it with excitement and wonder because we know that God's plan for our lives is greater than anything we could dream on our own.
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