2012: The Year of Pruning

I’ve been looking forward to this post for 366 days (don’t forget it was a leap year) not because of the content but because that means 2012 is in the books. It is history, and I’ve survived it.

Hallelujah!

Let’s not have another year like this for a while.

To be fair, 2012 has not been a bad year, but it has been plagued with first world problems. Like…

2 flat tires
a dead car battery
a broken tail light
a mouse in the garage
a leaking furnace
my dog trying to jump out of a moving vehicle
my dog actually jumping off a small bridge
and surgery that kept me out of pocket for a month

I guess you could say it was jam packed with anti-awesomeness.

I’ve been kind of quiet on the blog this year mainly because I’ve been trying to figure out what in the world God is/was trying to teach me. It’s been baffling.

In the third quarter of this year, I started to catch on. It was clear that God was pruning me, molding me, and refining me.

When silver is refined, the silversmith heats up a furnace and places the precious metal directly over the flame. The silver may be shiny to the naked eye, but it is only when the heat is applied and the metal becomes moldable that the dross bubbles to the surface. The dross of…

envy,
pride,
self-righteousness,
fear,
entitlement,
selfishness.

On and on and on the list goes of impurities that lie within, and though it has been difficult, I trust that it has not been in vain.

Let’s recap some of the highlights of the year.

Biggest Blessing

Hands down…my friends & family post-surgery.

Bradley came bearing groceries.
Robyn with grace.
Lil brought her companionship.
Kels brought her calming presence (and endless reminders that it was only temporary).
And, of course, Mom & Bruce, who came with practical solutions like washing clothes & fixing various things that had been overlooked.

AND

The gracious people at the Pampered Pet Resort for taking care of Ellie while I was convalescing. They went above and beyond. And when I say above & beyond, I mean it. It was an ugly-girl cry kinda blessing.

Scariest Moment

Realizing just how single I was because I was completely incapable of taking care of myself post-surgery. I never knew from day-to-day who (if anyone) would be able to help, and it was terrifying, but someone always showed up.

Funniest Moment

Robyn and I were at an event where it was completely inappropriate to laugh. Completely. Inappropriate. I could feel the giggles rising inside of me and I started to panic. Every ounce of my being was focused on keeping the giggles below the surface. It was terrible.

Then – in a tragic turn of events – out of the corner of my eye, I see Robyn’s shoulders begin to shake from laughter. At that point, it was all over. Neither of us could contain ourselves any longer and the giggles escaped. It was terrible, and is was hilarious. I’m so ashamed.

Weirdest Month

October

Biggest Obsession

Watching all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights on Netflix in 4 weeks. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”