I hope this blog finds all you doing well
and enjoying this New Year! I am
writing you from a very cold and snowy Northern Ireland. But, I have to admit that the snow
makes the cold worth it. Just this
morning, I looked out our window to see tiny flakes of shimmering white falling
from the sky, and once again was reminded of God’s absolute creativity. What a beautiful way to be reminded
that we serve a magnificent God.
Tanner and I had a wonderful Christmas
season. While we were sad to be
away from home and our families on Christmas Day, we were able to celebrate
Christmas in our own unique way this year. As many of you know, we are currently living on campus at
Belfast Bible College, a small school in Northern Ireland. We didn’t have much room in our house
for a tree, so we improvised and made a “Paper Tree.” I know that is a bit of an oxymoron, but we were simply
trying to maximize our space and watch the budget. I have included a photo just to show you how stunningly
beautiful our tree was! On
Christmas day, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast together, read the Christmas
story, opened our gifts and then went on a walk. Now, I have to admit that going on walks and being active on
Christmas day isn’t really how I grew up celebrating! I am a “snuggle by the fire and eat some more food” kind of
girl . . . but I embraced the athletic Richards side of the family that I
married into and went on a pleasantly slow saunter with my husband on Christmas
Day! We walked to a park nearby,
and it really was quite beautiful as we had a white Christmas here in Northern
Ireland.
A few days after Christmas, my Mom, Dad and
two younger sisters arrived in Dublin.
Wow . . . it truly was such a blessing to spend a little over a week
with the here in Europe. Family is
such a blessing, and Tanner and I were so excited to see our family when they
arrived on the 28th of December. We spent the first few days of our trip here in Northern
Ireland, and then we headed to London for New Years Eve. Tanner and I were in downtown London on
New Years Eve! How cool is
that? We heard Big Ben strike at
Midnight and watched the 8 minute long fireworks show over the river. We were able to visit the Tower of
London and Westminster Abbey.
Stevey and Shaoey thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Royal Family’s crowned
jewels! Pretty cool. Mom and I ventured to Harrods just for
fun, and it was absolute madness.
In the UK, there are tons of big sales during the week following
Christmas . . . so you can imagine how crazy Harrods was on New Years Day! I felt like all of London was crammed
in this store trying to snag a good deal . . . which is hard to do in Harrods
because everything is quite expensive.
From London, we headed to Paris via the
Eurostar train . . . the train that takes you underneath the English Channel
via a tunnel. Stevey and I played
Cinderella puppets for most of the ride while Tanner and Shaoey battled each
other on the Nintendo DS. France
was amazing as well! It was cold,
but we had a wonderful time venturing around on the subway, trying to find our
way to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame. We also saw the Grand Opera House, which is where the
Phantom of the Opera is set.
Stevey Joy wanted to know if she could quite her ballet class and come
take lessons at the Grand Opera House. How cute is that? I don’t doubt that she will someday steal the hearts of
thousands with her beautiful dancing!
She is quite graceful. And
Shaoey, she hung on every word during our tour of the Louvre. She is so into history! She absolutely loved getting background
information on all the paintings and statues. I am confidant that she too will change the lives of
thousands with her amazing intelligence and deep compassion for others. I have the most amazing sisters in the
WORLD!
And my parents . . . they are absolute
jewels. Their guidance and care
has blessed me, and I will forever be inspired by their cheerful generosity and
loving-kindness. We shared many
encouraging conversations together, conversations that further motivated Tanner
and I on this journey together . . . the journey that currently has us half-way
around the world. Sometimes, I
wish I could return home just for a few hours simply to experience the comforts
of home. However, I am completely
certain that God wanted us in Northern Ireland for this season. Tanner and I have both experienced
growth . . . academically, spiritually, emotionally and relationally. I am thankful that God knew what we
needed this year. And, I am
grateful for our families who have supported our decision to spend this year
abroad. While it was certainly sad
to see my family go because I absolutely adore them and had a blast travelling
Europe with them, Tanner and I left encouraged and energized for the next
semester of school.
Thank you for your continued prayers for Tanner
and me. This wonderful Christmas celebration
and time with my family came on the heels of a rather sad few days for me. This holiday season was quite difficult
in light of Maria not being with us.
And, as I reminisced on my own journey of grief, I couldn’t help but
think of my many friends who watched their first Christmas season come and go
without a certain loved one around the tree. While I really don’t understand God’s ways most of the time,
I am so thankful that He gave us a gift, the gift of Emmanual, God with us,
over 2,000 years ago. And now, no
matter how dark and slippery the journey gets, we believe in a God who saw it
fit to dwell among his people and ultimately die so as to save us into eternal
relationship with him. That is the
good news I choose to cling to as 2010 begins to unfold.
