Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

I can not believe how quickly this fall semester has gone by! I didn't realize how long it had really been since my last blog post. We've gone from Happy Halloween to Merry Christmas too quickly!!! Doug, the girls, and I stayed in Georgia for our Thanksgiving break. It was so wonderful. I made my very first Thanksgiving dinner, which took five hours to make and 15 minutes to eat! Devon made our dinner menu: roasted turkey breast, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, rice pudding, yeast rolls, and pumpkin pie. It was so good. The nicest part was the four of us enjoying our family at home for a whole entire day without interruptions. It was a true Sabbath and was much needed for all of us.

The second half of this semester has had the usual ebb and flow to it. Some weeks were crazier than others. I was thankful that I only had two weeks since October that every class had a deadline for a paper or group presentation....those were chaotic weeks but I survived.

I finished my only two exams, Old Testament Survey and Church History, on Tuesday December 8 and am in the process of finishing my last paper on the gospel of Mark. I selected the passage of Mark 5:1-20, The Gerasene Demoniac, in honor of Chris Herrin. I recall she gave an incredible sermon on this text a few years ago and I loved it. I decided I would translate and research this same passage and see how I would interpret it. This paper has been very exciting.

This second half of the semester has been filled with stress, sorrow, and joy. Of course graduate school has been stressful and an adjustment for our family. Charlotte homesickness finally set in as the holidays began to draw near. I am thankful for still being connected to so many friends in Charlotte. They certainly make me feel better!!! My spiritual life has also been affected by academic stress. There are times when it is so difficult to find opportunities to nourish myself spiritually. Although I seem to have found a balance between coursework and family, there is still much for me to learn to find a balance between coursework, and personal time. My priorities between study and family seem to overshadow the opportunities for personal time for myself. I am hoping to get some kind of work out schedule together during my break...one I can stick to during the semester as well.

The past few months have been sorrowful as we learned at the end of October of our dear friend, Bonnie Howland, losing her husband to cancer. Bonnie was Sardis Presbyterian's (our home church in Charlotte) former Assistant Christian Education Director. She and her family moved down here to Atlanta 2 years ago, as Bill was a commercial pilot. We attended his memorial service with Diane and Charles Hunter November 8, 2008 at Fayette Presbyterian Church in the greater Atlanta area. It was a very special service honoring Bill. Bonnie has a lovely and very supportive church family. Although it was so good to see Bonnie, Lauren, and Will, it is difficult to see our friend going through this difficult time.

Despite the stresses and sorrows of these past months there have been joys as well. I have had the opportunity to go on a few walking field trips with Devon and Ashley. I walked with both the girls to a field trip in downtown Decatur earlier this fall for a large book festival. I was also able to accompany Ashley and her kindergarten class on a walking field trip to the Agnes Scott College Campus Post Office. The children were able tour the small facility and mail a handmade post card to themselves. Ashley was so excited to receive her cute postcard in the mail the very next day. It was too cute!

Our family was also able to attend Rev. Chris Herrin's service of Installation at her new congregation Limestone Presbyterian Church in Gaffney, SC; the church has a congregation of about 200 members. I was very honored that Chris asked me to give the Pastoral Prayer for the service. Her classmate from Princeton Seminary gave the sermon. Pressly Gilbert, our friend from Sardis Presbyterian, gave the charge to the congregation. It was a lovely service and Chris looked so happy. The members of Limestone were so welcoming and excited about this new journey with Chris as their solo pastor. We are so excited about her new call and are hoping her family's transition to SC will be a smooth one.

I would love to hear what is new with you and your family, so please keep in touch with us. We appreciate your prayers and support and look forward to see you as our schedules allow.

Many blessings to you and Your family this Advent Season!!!