As The Year Ends

With New Year's Day approaching I am taking th eopportunity to reflect on the year gone by and assess it. Truthfully, I must say this year has been les than stellar for me. In fact, it has been downright rough.

I am tired to the core and worn to the soul.

This year my career in the Army has come under assault pretty much non-stop, culminating in the removal process I am fighting right now. My wife and I spent our entire savings on a cycle of in-vitro that failed utterly, and I have no idea how I'm going to pay for the cycle she is going in for this coming March. My father was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative brain disease. One of my cousins died. My mother's towing business is under attack from her own partner who has decided to try to destroy the business since he cannot have it all. My knees and shoulder ache almost constantly from injuries sustained on the job. I was cited for using illegal fishing tackle because the book definition of single hook was interpereted differently by one game warden than it had been by previous game wardens I have spoken with. I oculd go on with large events, but the worst for me has been the constant onerous hostility I have had to live with every day at work, the wearing paranoia of trying to be absolutely perfect so I can't get hurt, and still making some basic human errors, which, of course, were used against me in a way the same ones are not used aganst anyone else that I know of in the clinic.

Still, through it all God is good to me. I have a wonderful and loving wife. 3 fantasitic dogs. A nuclear and extended family that is always loving and supportive. And most importantl, when even this is not enough, there is my Lord Jesus Christ to bolster me and carry me through the hardest parts of life. This is the ultimate blessing on my year.

If there is one lesson I have taken from this year it is that I can always rely on Jesus to carry through difficulties I cannot make it through on my own. It has boosted my faith and my grattitude to my Lord, and may well be the purpose behind my living with so much turmoil in the first place.

This said I look forward to next year with great anticipaion. I do not knw what will come, But good or ill, I know it will all be for the best in the end.

Have a blessed New Year, everyone.