Good Like a Medicine

I’m back to blogland! I really, really enjoyed being away from my computer. We have a love-hate relationship sometimes. The more I learn about web design, blogging trends, feed readers, e-commerce, and technology in general, the more the avalanche seems to grow that sucks away time from things that in the end are truly more important to me and my family. I guess it is with most things in life that with more freedom comes more responsibility and discipline, so that these things don’t become idols of the heart and mind.

God helped me knock those priorities back into a perspective a few days after I wrote my last post when my laptop / blog / network was hacked. Long-story short, I believe someone in my neighborhood on my street hacked into my network, messing up my personal email account activity, stealing things, and wiped out my entire WordPress blog database, thus sending me into a few days of panic and a lot of education. I was very thankful that I could recover a database backup that I had saved on my hard drive, which meant that I did not lose every post that I had ever written. In the end Eric and I learned a lot, did everything in our power to beef up our network security, and I considered the personal risks to our family and worried for several days. I am not worried about my clients’ sites and information because I have backed up everything and changed passwords, but the unknowns about my personal data (mainly pictures of my children) scare me a little and give me more reasons to trust in my sovereign King. I still don’t know what will come of all of it, but it is a good reminder of our need to be wise and careful with the internet. If you can’t access certain things pertaining to my blog in the future, this is the reason. Also, if you have a wireless network and aren’t sure if it’s as secure as it should be, here are some tips from a thread I posted at Godbit, and here is a good article to read. And please remember: never let the thought of “it won’t happen to me” keep you from doing the necessary to prevent attack.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to go on so much about all of that, but it is very important. Our Christmas holiday was wonderful, and I have many memories to cherish for weeks and years to come. I particularly enjoyed reading everyone else’s blogs and looking at happy and beautiful pictures from other people. I almost felt like I was watching a train or a cruise ship go by from the ground, but it was good. It is really an amazing thing to be able to peek into the living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and hearts of your homes and experience a little bit of the joy of your Christmas with you. It was inspiring to see how amazing so many mothers and wives are at creating such wonderful treats and traditions for your families to enjoy. I am jealous of you, and I have so much to learn! Our Christmastime had its hard moments, but I know that every year as our children grow older, we will be able to experience an increasing degree of peacefulness during the Christmas season.

Some of my favorite memories and blessings from Christmas:

• our church’s gigantic, glorious, Christ-exalting Christmas concert and the moment when over 2,000 people stood loudly concluding the chorus “How Great is Our God” with our choir and orchestra, and as I took my trumpet away from my mouth, I could see my husband leading with hands raised and the worship of Christ radiating on his face
• caroling from house to house on our state’s most frigid night of the Winter in a historic neighborhood with friends from our small group Bible study and our shivering children (it really was fun until our children fell apart due to the cold!)
• decorating gingerbread cookies with Eric and the kids (I found this great recipe and was very happy with the results in case you want to tuck it away for future reference)
• going to my mentor and friend Cindy’s house to decorate a gingerbread house, play with her sweet dogs, and spend time with her family, our friends
• enjoying a phenomenal Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert with Eric, which was a gift from Big Daddy and Grammy to us (it was amazing!)
• not throwing up a single time this month (this is huge since I have thrown up a lot with the other pregnancies! thank you for praying for me!)
• seeing our children light up at the sights of Christmas lights
• hearing Lydia and Steven sing Christmas songs and recount bits of the gospel to each other (like “I saw three ships coming sailing in, pa rum pa pum pum…” - Lydia loves to mix the words of songs!)
• spending Christmas day in our hometown with all of our family members at their homes
• enjoying Eric’s gift to us, a pass to the zoo, on our way back home the day after Christmas, and getting a close-up greeting from two ostriches!

Now is the time to look to the newness of a fresh year, a year of hopes, prayers, possibilities, and days written in God’s book of beautiful providence. Last year I had a host of resolutions, and this year I will resolve to do and be many of those same things by the grace of God. The ones I want to focus on the most, though, are reading more (myself and to the children) and radiating joy to others, especially my family, not just sometimes but all the time. I know the key is abiding in Christ. Not overwork but overflow…

How about your memories? Goals? I can’t wait to read and share them with you. Happy New Year!