I hope you had a contented and blessed Christmas! I always feel a bit stunned when all of a sudden Christmas is over.

Because I was a school teacher and parent it felt like my new year really started in September, and I would get the thrill of new possibilities as the busyness increased. This year has been different. I didn’t have children to take to school and I didn’t end up teaching much this fall. So now, at the end of the calendar year it seems like an end and new beginnings are just around the corner. I have some art events to look forward to and will be sharing those with you real soon.

A week before Christmas my husband broke his leg and is due to have surgery this week. It’s amazing how an unexpected event like that can instantly delete activities that seemed so important. We had a wonderful Christmas in spite of the injury and are happy both of our daughters are home for this season. Because Keith broke his right leg, and cannot put pressure on it I am the designated driver, caregiver etc. That has certainly slowed our planned activities down. I’m trying to see it as an opportunity to “be still” and appreciate the benefits of the limitations.

We’ve been watching a DVD series,

How to Hear God’s Voice

, by Mark Virkler. I’ve been encouraged and have found that visualizing myself in the presence of Jesus helps me listen and hear more of what God wants to say to me. Writing and drawing (visual prayer etc) during that time is continuing to be helpful and I can tell some of my insecurities are being replaced by a confidence that God does really love me, and that love is not based on my performance.

About a year ago, when the concept of being still became more important to me I added these pages in my altered prayer book:

copyright Valerie Sjodin 2010