The Year of Our Lord 2021 has been memorable for the Haley household. If you are a reader of my blog, you already know all of this except for what happened at the end. But Christmas cards come to you in one of three ways.
Addressed to you, but only signed at the bottom with the name of your friend, so you can know they are still alive
Addressed to you with a very short personalization, or
Addressed to you, signed at the bottom, and accompanied by a newsletter designed to summarize an entire year, and catch you up. It is never a short novel. I will try to do that now, but it’s too late to send out the cards.
In the Beginning (of 2021), we all hoped and prayed that as we left horrible, awful 2020 behind, we could look forward to a better year. But in so many ways, our collective hopes were dashed, as the devil mounted a skilled and coordinated attack on civilization itself. I don’t think that’s hyperbole. The “fundamental change” or “great reset” is a plot by Satan to bring the world into domination by the antichrist in the last days, and it has been marked by great confusion, despair, and death.
I know, that doesn’t sound like the preamble to any of my Christmas card newsletters in the past. And it would be really awful to leave it like that, wouldn’t it? So I won’t.
For our family, and for those of us in the Body of Christ, this honest appraisal of the State of the World is not cause for despair, but cause for rejoicing. Yes, we are in the world as occupational forces, but our citizenship is in Heaven, and our Savior is standing by to redeem and rescue us.
In April of 2021, Eric and I finally became empty nesters, and eventually The Shoe had two guest rooms. They are still not perfect, but we got a ceiling fan replaced and new curtains installed. Paint would be nice, and new carpet, but for now, the rooms are comfy enough for grandkids spending the night, holiday guests, and even occasional honeymooners.
We had two more weddings in 2021, both in May. Chris Haley married Kim, and our granddaughter Sarah married Austen. Sometimes my dad makes appearances at these events and has enjoyed himself immensely. Our clan does weddings well!
We also had two more babies born in 2021, both in June: Vivi and Andrew’s baby, Adaline, and our grandson Jay and Mary’s baby, Felix. The tally: 20 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. They are too many now to spoil, but they are so well-loved!
I can’t really summarize 2021 without mentioning that December was Covid Month. Almost all of us Haley’s and used-to-be Haley’s had the Wuhan flu, in one form or another. It affected the church, caused a few deaths and near-deaths of beloved friends, hamstrung our business during Christmas rush, closed down other long-time businesses for good, and made a hole in people’s health and personal finances. But we are still alive and kicking, and the fact that we have beaten Covid in 2021 feels like the end of Peter's battle with Fenris Ulf in Narnia, where Aslan the great lion has to remind him that after the kill, he needs to clean the blood off his sword.
For we did sing The Hallelujah Chorus on Friday night, Christmas Eve, at Calvary Chapel in Lafayette. We had a small, powerful, battle-hardened army of mostly Covid-Recovered, who stood tall and proclaimed with gusto that the victory belonged to King Jesus, and no weapon formed against us could ever prosper. Our beloved pastor and his wife made their first post-Covid public appearance there to absorb the atmosphere of Christmas worship. And they were not disappointed, praise God!
During the holidays both of our military families made it here from their faraway stations in Nebraska and New Mexico, occupying both guest rooms. We told them we didn’t really have a chance to do much cleaning, but we were extremely pleased that by the time they got here, we were over Covid, there was food in the house, the toilets flushed and the water drained, the water could get hot, the furnace kept us warm, the lights turned on and off, and the internet worked. Sometimes it's those little things that we take for granted that are our biggest blessings.
Playing with Ariabella and Felix was a great highlight of the year.
I got to sit next to Aria on the way home from the Christmas Eve service, where I dredged up a song from the depths of my memory (thank God for those memories!) and sang “Toot Toot Tootsie, Good-bye” with her.
“What in the world are you singing, Mom?”
“Something Aria’s great grandma used to sing to me.”
Oh, besides Covid, there were more events and complications and setbacks in 2021 than you could shake a stick at (as my daddy used to say), I’m pretty sure I actually lost an important letter from the Department of Revenue that will come back to bite me later. Our dog Precious is a hopeless drug addict (steroids), but she’s 15 years old and mostly sleeping. And right now, our van is disabled and not at our house, having lost its transmission (which is why I got to sit next to Aria).
But it sounds like we may have a couple more grandbabies now coming in 2022 and a couple more weddings, if King Jesus tarries. Life goes on, the clan gets bigger and farther away from one another. It seems inconceivable, but some of them don’t even know each other!
And Jesus gets closer. It is not hard right now to remember the shameful pullout of our troops in Afghanistan. It will not be like that when Jesus pulls His ambassadors. He knows where all of us live and will forget no one.
My prayer is for wellness -- and wholeness -- for your families in 2022.
Father God, we acknowledge our brokenness before You, here at the end of the year. Many are sick, recovering, exhausted, grieving, and some are near the point of despair.
But we read in Your Word:
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
~John 10:10
We cling to that promise of life. King Jesus, take our lives and heal the broken pieces and broken bodies, the broken hearts and broken relationships. Make us well and whole again, as we face 2022 with confidence that You are the giver of abundant life, and it is meant for us.
Happy New Year!
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