Where do I start? We made it through our first Christmas and New Year without Caleb. It wasn't easy, but we did it. My mom and dad came up to spend Christmas with us. Dad had to head back right after Christmas, but Mom stayed until after my birthday, then headed home on Dec. 30th.
We drove down to my MIL's for Christmas Eve. It was hard being around so many people without Caleb there, but I felt him near. We were given a beautiful memorial book of Caleb made by my SIL with pictures she had taken from Caleb's last day through the Celebration of Life service the next weekend. It is proudly displayed over our fireplace. Thanks again, Pam, it is fabulous!
January 2012 has brought many changes to our family. Richard's job ended at the end of December, so he's job hunting now. I started working at the Early Learning Center that Caden goes to on Tuesdays & Thursdays teaching a room full of 3-year olds. What was I thinking!?!? Actually, I'm having a great time and I LOVE the people I work with and the kiddos in my class.
Since we changed churches back in November, I haven't really been singing. We've now officially joined our new church (CrossRidge Church) and I've decided to jump back into serving again. I auditioned for the praise team and have started attending rehearsals. I'm looking forward to being able to help draw people into God's presence. The first rehearsal I attended, we were going over a song called "Never Once" by Matt Redman. I was really focused on learning the song at the time and didn't have a chance to really let the words sink in. As we sang the song on Sunday morning, I really took a look at the lyrics and realized the truth in it. Never once did we EVER walk alone during Caleb's battle. God was with us every step of the way. We can clearly see how much He's done for us during that battle. We know that every victory was His power in us. It's what allowed us to continue. We have scars, we still struggle, but we can truly say with joy in our hearts that God is Faithful!
I know that some of you reading the blog are going through intense times in your lives right now. Things around you seem to be spiraling out of control. I pray you are comforted by the knowledge that God is faithful and is right there with you. I've attached the song here.
Never Once - Matt Redman (Worship with Lyrics)
If you live in the Little Elm area and do not have a church home, I'd like to invite you to worship with us at CrossRidge Church. One of the many things that drew us to CRC was how much they reached out to us during the darkest time of our life without asking for anything in return. They loved on us, prayed for us, cooked for us, and stood beside us even though we didn't even attend their church! They LOVE to serve their community and it shows in everything they do. I am so pleased to be a part of CRC.
We miss Caleb every moment of every day. Caleb is always in our hearts and is loved today, tomorrow, in ALL ways to infinity and beyond.
Angel, Richard and Caden
