This isn’t our house.

But, we rented this place for a few glorious days in August and reveled in having all our clan under one roof. We swam, played, laughed, and prayed. We stayed up way too late and had lots of conversations like the one pictured above. These days were reminiscent of our lives when all the kids were at home. Only now life is better, because they’ve replicated themselves about a dozen times.

We were celebrating a myriad of things, including five years of cancer-free life for Serenity. Shortly after this, we learned her cancer had recurred. She’s had surgery now, and she will start chemo in January. She is brave, beautiful, and strong through it all. If you want to follow her progress, check out her blog.

Wendell and I continue to celebrate life together. We welcomed another granddaughter, Violet Emery Long, in November. That makes 11 on earth, 2 in Heaven, and 1 arriving in the spring. In case you are counting. We still love working together at his medical clinic, and we are blessed to be part of an intentional community called Heartland. Our church ministers to hurting people from all walks of life, and we are privileged to play a part.

In our spare time, I still write a local newspaper column, a church bulletin, and occasional magazine articles. Wendell helps keep the county safe by serving as a deputy sheriff and the court bailiff. At the end of the day, our favorite event is going home together where we love our cozy, empty nest. We are wishing all of you a Christmas that is merry and bright!