What a busy year 2022 was! January started with a campus tour at Millar College of the Bible in Winnipeg as we started looking at the end of Megan's homeschool years. We hunkered down and focused on studies during the cold winter months and Covid drama.
March began with the passing of my uncle Harold, and ended with Makenna getting some much needed dental surgery. God blessed us with not having to pay anything out of pocket for the surgery, and Makenna did really well (other than fighting hard to not fall asleep for the surgery). March was also when I started some of the seeds for our garden...
Spring also marked the start of my brothers health drama...first a broken bone in his leg requiring surgery, then a cascade of health complications culminating in emergency open heart surgery! My brother was in hospital for quite a while (til late April) so we helped out in as many ways as we could both before and after he went home. Life was busy, like usual...
In late May, I tried something new--a job with a company providing care in people's homes. While I thought the job might be a good fit, it wasn't the right thing for me at this time/season in my life, so I let the opportunity pass me by. May was also the first time I was able to attend our Manitoba homeschool conference in a few years, and it was a place of encouragement as usual (I also served on the special needs panel).
June saw us finish up Megan's final year of homeschooling and she graduated from Wiebe Christian Academy, although she opted to decline festivities. She chose to spend some time over the summer at my sisters house, fostering her independence and exploring some of her options for fall. June ended on an upsetting note when Alvin’s brother suffered a stroke, required brain surgery, has a long road to recovery, and it's still uncertain how much more he will improve.
July was a time of new beginnings. Our niece Ashley got married mid-month, and shortly after I started to work part time at Sobeys in the kitchen "a la carte" department. Makenna and Marissa were invited to and able to attend 2 weeks of VBS in July and loved the experiences they had there!
I was very busy working in August, but we still managed to get away camping for a few days thanks to the generosity of friends that let us borrow their motor home. Then it was time to shift gears and organize and plan for the next school year. It was also in mid August that Megan decided she wanted to attend Millar College of the Bible, so we scrambled for the next 3 weeks to get everything in order so she could go! Needless to say, August was a bit chaotic and busy and was gone in a flash!
On September 9th, we dropped Megan off at college, then the following week we started back to homeschooling. At the end of September, we were able to go to the Manitoba Down Syndrome Societies "Walk with Us" and see many families we hadn't seen in a long time. Makenna loved dancing with the Blue Bombers cheer and dance squad!
October was a month of working at our homeschool studies while I continued working at Sobeys, and keeping up around the home. Megan came home at the end of the month for a break week.
In November it was time to work hard core on filling cookie advent calendar orders and preparing/attending a Christmas market to fundraise to (hopefully) attend the Rockin Moms Retreat next September, Lord willing. It was a crazy few weeks of preparation, but it put me in a good position to register when registration opens in 2023.
We were able to attend staff Christmas parties at both mine and Alvin's work this year which was a really nice thing to be able to do after years of "stay at home" orders around Christmas.
December was busy as usual with birthday parties, working, school, and preparing for Christmas and now here we are, almost to the new year!
I'm so grateful for the many new friends I've made including 3 different nearby neighbors! I've dabbled here and there in some artistic endeavours again. I've made headway in reduce clutter in my life, physically, digitally, and mentally. I feel like I'm finally getting back to my old self after the isolation/depression/discouragement that the pandemic caused!
2022 has been quite the year, and I'm thankful to God for all his blessings and being with us every step of the way this last year, in spite of the challenges and chaos. My confidence is in Christ, that we are ready to handle everything that 2023 has to offer! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Comments