Thank you everyone for your prayers and encouragement. I would like to make it available to you who prayed for me and Amarylis, and so I will pray about the best way to share it with everyone. I will let you know soon so that I don't keep you all on a cliff-hanger too long.
Also of great importance is, of course, reading. I am in the midst of War of Loyalties and already terribly curious about whatever it is Jaeryn is up to! Please remember that the best thing you can do for your favorite books is to review them on both Amazon and Goodreads. Help Schuyler out by reviewing her book as soon as you finish devouring it!
I have a lot to say in this post, so I apologize that it's so long! On a less literary note, here are some other things that I am up to.
This past weekend I also participated in Logos, which is a Young Adult retreat for ages 18-30 put on by the RYS (Reformed Youth Services). I highly recommend this weekend. They have two a year, one in August and another in January. This particular Logos was bittersweet for me as I have now "aged out," but it was a nice way to finish off this experience. I was not alone, there were a few of us who had to say goodbye. I will see many of them again, but for others, there is distance between us and I do not know what the future will bring. I am beyond thrilled for those who begin new futures, and look forward to celebrating with them. There were lots of tears on that last morning after singing verses of God Be With You Til We Meet Again. Logos taught me a lot, and I am so grateful for it. I was terrified to go at first, and so I put it off for a long time. I thought it would be very intimidating, because it is a singles retreat, and that was just awkward sounding. I am also a completely, ridiculously awkward introvert, and the idea of meeting tons of people all at once sounds like scary chaos. But I decided to be brave and give it a try, and I'm so glad I did. It was nothing like I thought it would be. There was minimal "clique-y-ness", I felt so welcomed and included by so many people. I was not alone in feeling awkward about meeting new faces, and it was very freeing to socialize with so many people with similar foundations in faith. It was definitely exhausting to have three or four days of non-stop socializing, but I regret none of it. I was blessed deeply by Ed DeGraaf, the speakers carefully chosen over the years, and leaders who generously included and cared for everyone.
Third, because she is dear to us and we love our sleepy, sweet Mittens, I wanted to share that January is officially Mittens' Gotcha Month. We can't remember the exact date or year, but it's been roughly sixteen good years with us. This sweet, beautiful kitty showed up on our doorstep when it was becoming cold outside, and since she had white paws and my mother said she was going to need mittens to stay warm this winter, we started calling her Mittens. We put up flyers and took her to the vet to have her scanned for a microchip. Nobody called for this beautiful brown cat with piercing blue eyes, a white spot on her nose and soft, thick fur. So we got her shots and brought out the litter box and made her a part of our family. She just loves to roll outside on the porch and sleep all day. Mittens has a sneaky, clever, quiet way about her. Her favorite foods include popcorn and shrimp, but she always just loved food (though in her old age it takes some coaxing to get her to finish her dish). She loves belly rubs, and is usually quite relaxed and gentle. I plan to make a cake for after Sunday dinner to get the kiddos in on the celebration for sixteen years with our beautiful, sweet Snowshoe kitty.
We love you, Mittens!
