It's 2008 already!

What? It’s 2008 already? What happened to 2007?

My older daughter Alison and her husband Jason moved to North Carolina last year. They both have great jobs, and now they own a beautiful home in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood—a great place to raise children. Wally, Lauren, and I spent Christmas with them in their new home, and we’re thankful that the Lord has blessed them so greatly.

This is the year Lauren will graduate from the University of South Florida. Although I’m happy for her and excited to see what she does with her life, I have to admit to confusion and feelings of trepidation about what I’ll do with our “empty nest.” I’ve heard about this syndrome, but I never thought I’d feel this way. Wally and I will have more freedom, time, and money to do the things we’ve always wanted to do, but we’ll miss our daughters more than we ever imagined.

What I need to do is count my blessings. First of all, I’m grateful to have wonderful adult children who’d make any parent proud. Next, I’m thankful that Wally survived a serious health scare back in May, so we can hopefully have many more years together. There are so many other things I appreciate and give credit to the Lord for, I can’t possibly name them all here.

2008 has gotten off to a good start. I pray that my family and friends will continue to be blessed with good health and love for each other so we can shine our light on the world as Christ-followers.