2016

Whew! What. A. Year. It’s hard to believe that 2016 is over. I know a lot of people have negative feelings about this year, and maybe rightfully so. But 2016 was absolutely amazing for me. In fact, the only reason I’ll be staying up tonight is to cherish every last second of this year. As any year, it had its low points, but I know without a doubt that this has been one of the best years of my life. I knew it was going to be a good year when I made a new friend and grew closer to another at the very beginning of the year. These two have since proved to be two of the best people I have ever known. (No offense.) It couldn’t be all good, though. Mid-February landed me in the ER (the first of three times this year). I had been dealing with health problems, but it was at this point that I took a turn for the worse. Early March was an exciting time for me. For the first time, I felt like God was really asking me to do something – lead a Bible study! Starting this was a little scary for my shy self, but I got to know several people through it. To be honest, I think I gained more from it than anybody who attended. In April, I got to help a friend of mine who was seriously injured by selling brownies, and got to see Matthew and Gunnar Nelson for a second time at a Ricky Nelson Remembered concert. It was a bittersweet month. May was even more bittersweet. I had to say goodbye to one of those good friends I mentioned at the beginning of this post (See, Lessons and Lessons: Part Two). Gratefully, I was able to see them again in June (this was basically the last time) at what I would consider to be one of the best church conferences. July was probably the most uneventful month. It was a good month, though. I moved in August in what turned out to be one of the best moves I have made in all my life. Most of the fall was spent with me adjusting to my new life and getting to know people. I love my new town and all the fantastic people that I get to see every day. December was a tough month, maybe the toughest. After all my health problems and the countless doctor’s appointments, I was finally given some answers. Although I was glad to get these answers, it was hard for me to hear the doctor saying, “Endometriosis...possible infertility…no cure…treatment options…long-term management.” While recovering from surgery, I read Lysa TurKuerst’s book Uninvited. It was truly life-changing for me, and I highly recommend it. (I haven't stopped repeating: "God is good, God is good to me, God is good at being God.)

A lot of things happened that were out of my control, and a lot of good things happened that were the culmination of past hurts in my life. (Isn’t it always great to see how God works everything out?) I suppose this year’s “moral of the story” could be summed up with this message I got from one of my friends about two weeks ago:

“Well it’s God’s plan, Chloe. You can’t change it. Whatever happens happens, and if He says it’s gonna happen, it’s going to happen. But I’m sure He knows what He’s doing, so don’t worry. It’ll all be okay.”