Well, today we got all of the shopping done for Christmas! Kathy and I also went to the grocery store to get what we need (of course there is always going to be something that we forgot)! But, during this time of the year, I always like to look back and see the "road" we have traveled together for twelve months. WOW!!!  What a year we had!! There were so many things that went on but the biggest thing was Kathy's spinal surgeries and the cancer diagnosis. Also, you have to include two spinal implant surgeries on top of that!! It seems like a long time ago. During this time, we also had to make a decision about going to a church closer to home. With Kathy's condition the way it is, it was hard for her to get down to church and stay there the whole service and then drive home. I had to go church separately because of being a member of the worship team. We had been going to this church for over 23 years. Kathy and I had been Life Group leaders, run a Cafe for charities, she had been in the Drama ministry and directed it, and I had been in the Worship team. It was tough to change but we knew we needed to be involved together. Our Pastors agreed with us and we decided to go back to the church we had come from. We knew a lot of the people there and it was a lot closer to home.
Well, what a blessing they have been! Pastor Derek and MJ and the people there have been great! During Kathy's surgeries and the recovery time at home, the ladies of the church would come down and stay with her for twenty-four hours a day since she couldn't stay by herself while I was working. And they still have blessed us so much! It was one of the most toughest summers we ever had. Kathy was on complete bed rest when she got home and then with the unplanned second spinal surgery, that made it even more difficult to deal with.
But, she is now making some progress. We have to keep a close watch on the cancer situation but hopefully, that doesn't get any worse. Through all of this, we saw the hand of God work in so many ways! Many of the doctors and nurses had expressed how fortunate we were and they were amazed at Kathy's uplifting attitude she had through all this. Sure, we both have our bad days, but that is not an excuse! We know that God is moving and that one day, we will see the fruits from all of this!
We know that many people go through a lot more than we have and I am so grateful for all the blessings that we have. We are praying for a better year for us and all our families and friends!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Paul