A NEW YEAR

Yes, a new year! I survived Christmas and New Year's. I had two services Christmas Eve and finally arrived home at 11:45 pm where LH greeted me with brie and champagne! Traffic was a bit heavier this year due to the mild weather.
  Christmas was a lazy laidback and quiet day.
  On Saturday I promptly got sick and gave up my dinner.
  On Sunday, I cleaned two bathrooms and napped for an hour. I did other preparations and rested in between. I was totally wrung out. My niece and her intended arrived and we spent 40 minutes introducing the dogs to one another. Since they came a bit later, appetizers were dispensed with and I made chicken curry, couscous and spinach au gratin. Brownies were served for dessert. I really wasn't all that with it.  They opened gifts and played a couple rounds of Jenga and then off to bed.
   On Monday, I was starving at 6 am, so I got up at 6:45am and ate some breakfast and had coffee. I really couldn't wait for the others. On Sunday all I had was a piece of bread, and some curry chicken, a spoonful of spinach, and a spoonful of couscous. I was also feeling a bit better. I made multigrain blueberry pancakes for the company and LH. LH slept in while my niece and J came down. Had great discussion about the upcoming wedding in May.
   They left near noon while I had a vet appointment at 12:15 which I made that morning since Jazz had a lump in his cheek and wouldn't let me touch it on Sunday. He had an abcessed  tooth and on Tues early morning, I took him to vet hospital for a dental. They took most of his molars and he's healed up now.
   On Sunday I received word on the death of a parishioner and the funeral was 12-31. Most of the day was spent at church. When I got home, I made brownies for dessert on NYD and mixed meatballs for our midnight snack. (There's also champagne and panettone)
   On New Year's Day, I made eggs benedict for LH and I, although he poached his own eggs when he finally came downstairs. I cleaned bathrooms again and prepped for my SIL's who came to
celebrate New Year's Day with us. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon, snacking, talking, trying to Skype which didn't work out, opening gifts and having a ham dinner.
   On Monday, Jan 4th I had a meeting and didn't get home til 10 pm. A meeting on Wed. evening and was home by 8:30 pm.
   It has been non-stop, except for a few hours here and there to nap and recharge.
  My star word for this year is:JOY!
    I was hoping for a more complex word. I have always had joy in my life. But perhaps, in these
months, I haven't felt it like I should. So perhaps, God, in God's great wisdom gave me this word to help me reclaim the joy in my life - lately it's been all about duty and responsibility. So I will look
for those things that bring joy to my soul, laugh more, and just savor the joy of the Lord.
   In the meanwhile: Lent is coming. I have put together a Giving Calendar, working on the church
women's retreat (Feb.5 & 6), and trying to work up Ash Wednesday. Then I need to work on a
sermon for the every Wednesday round -robin preaching at 5 different Lutheran churches. 1 sermon preached 5 times in 5 different churches. And two of those churches have a noon and evening service and we are to do both. Ughhh...and then there's Holy Week and Easter to plan and prep.
   I get tired just thinking about it all. JOY!
   Perhaps, summer will ease things somewhat. One can hope and dream.