We are now 8 minutes into 2009, and I find myself aching to express what this past year has meant to me, but unable to find adequate words.  As I write this, the greatest blessing of 2008...indeed, of my life...is curled up sleeping, and I am reminded that whatever 2008 brought me, he was worth every bit of it. 

I remember New Year's Eve last year.  I was so aching for 2008 to bring great changes. I thought those changes would come if I moved away...far away.  I remember sharing with my family that I wanted to move to Portland, Oregon and be part of "Imago Dei" there. I remember telling them that, before 2008 drew to a close, I would be gone.  Of course, my desire to move was not so much about the move as it was about a desire for change. 2007 had been brutal to me, and much of that carried into the early days of 2008. I needed to start over, somehow.

I won't recap my entire story. Most of you know how 2008 played out for me.  It was a rough year, to be sure, but also the year that gave me the greatest rewards.  My faith was challenged, and changed. I discovered a deep well of personal strength that I never realized I had, and it helped me overcome tremendous obstacles.  I learned about love...what it is, and what it isn't. I learned the value of community, and the meaning of true friendship that stays with you regardless of the storms it may weather.  Painfully, I learned who my friends are, and which of those I thought of as friends are really just some nice people I happen to know.  I learned about God's endless resources and His miraculous provision for my every need. I learned about making the hard choices, and sticking with them even though they are frightening.

As 2008 drew to a close, I was given one final gift. My son came into the world on December 27, a way of saying that, no matter what else may have happened, God's plan truly is to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. My son is a symbol of that hopeful future.  He is the greatest joy I have ever known, and is indeed the greatest blessing of my life. My son does not fear the future.  He trusts me to provide for him and protect him, and never doubts that I will. He trusts me to hear him when he calls.  Such simple lessons. My son has already taught me much. 

I never imagine this kind of love.  The love I have for this child is like nothing I have ever known before, and I feel it so intensely sometimes that I can hardly contain it.  He is a miracle. He is a blessing.  He is an answer to prayer, God's gift to me.  This gift was the perfect way to wrap up a year that has been wrought with trials, heartaches, broken dreams, and yet...in the midst of it...unspeakable joy.  For this reason, 2008 was the best year I've yet seen, and it gives me great hope for 2009.