ABIGAIL

Snow falling gently
No wind in the dance  
Floating from the sky  
Alighting on each branch  
of every tree once naked  
save for grayish bark  
now dressed in lavish white  
pearls of moonlight in the dark  
I walk through powdered rivers  
leaving rippled trails behind  
The world now is muted  
No blaring sounds remind  
of harshness or entitlement  
Peacefulness surrounds  
our desolation and perverseness  
Placidity abounds  
I inhale the frigid air  
feel the sharpness of its bite  
aware this tranquil moment  
is a mantle and a guise  
concealing misery and angst  
a world of desperate souls  
seeking hope in places grim  
seeking light in darkened holes  
Yet the miracle of snow  
provides a blanket of relief  
falling from the sky  
as a gift we all can see  
invites us lift our eyes  
up to heaven and to gaze  
in the wonder of the season  
and our gratitude to raise  
Snow falling silently  
calling us to pray  
for a healing of despair  
that will wholly grace someday

EVERGREEN

A pine in the woods buried in cold, nestled in sugary crystalline snow, peeking its needles through glistening ice, uncovered by wind gusts sweeping the night. It holds beauty in circumstance brutal and fierce. It shows strength found in roots, where wind cannot pierce. A pine thrives through seasons, no grudge towards the cold... whether springtime or harvest, in truth, it’s all gold: the treasure of summer - to grow towards the light, or to tuck into winter ‘neath stars twinkling bright. Enduring life long, standing serene, branching out strong, it thrives... ever green.

Our year has been one of drought in many ways, but somehow, at the same time, we have found our needs met by means we would have never imagined. Many times we felt extremely humbled, even uncomfortable, with the generosity given to us... but always, always we have felt overwhelmed with gratefulness to God for being faithful and to the people he has chosen to be the answers to our prayers. Throughout everything, we, too, made ourselves available to the tasks God set in front of us, and were grateful all over again - that we could do more than simply receive, we could give. I will never stop thanking God for allowing us to experience the joy that arises within, when we find ourselves able to help and encourage each other. We hope you will experience the joy of both giving and receiving God’s love this Christmas!

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought...”
 -Jeremiah 17:8

P.S. Please enjoy these glimpses of our group photo chaos. The branches of our family tree obviously grow in many different directions!