I always find
it difficult to try to accurately summarize a year of life for 9 different
people in just a few sentences at the end of the year. 2020 somehow seems trickier than ever to
capture with words. I tried writing a letter
to send along with our family photo and updated address back in November, but it
just didn’t come together for me. I thought perhaps the addition of some photos
may help the letter come to life. So here
it is, imperfectly improved.
This is by no means a comprehensive view of the year, but simply a few notable events from our lives as we somersaulted through 2020.
We started
the school year with 5 children enrolled at FBCS. Due to COVID-19 regulations,
the last 8 weeks of school found us learning the ropes of homeschooling. Thanks
to the excellent coaching of our FBCS teachers and the grace of Jesus each of
our 5 scholars advanced to the next grade level.
Our weeks of
staying at home in the spring were certainly a mixed bundle of happiness and stress.
We were each on our own learning curve that pulled and pushed us to grow.
Leading a church during a pandemic has proven to be an ongoing stress for Amos.
Homeschooling 5 kids and helping teenagers process their loneliness and
disappointments of 2020, plus staying on
top of the daily physical needs of our family keeps pushing me into uncharted
territory. Our children have been amazingly resilient and creative and mostly
cooperative as we’ve navigated the challenges and joys of 2020.
In early
March while browsing local real estate I found a property that nearly made my
heart stop because it met so many of the criteria we had previously set when
discussing the possibility of some day moving away from our town home. The next day Amos and I made an appointment to
see the house and two days later we took the whole family for a tour of the
property. After a few agonizing days of prayer, getting advice, pushing the
pencil, dreaming, and negotiating we found ourselves signing papers to become
the owners of a 15-acre property and a century old home. That day we also
married a boatload of work.
Nothing
about this process was smooth since we signed our contract just days before our
country shut down all non-essential business for a few weeks. Our attorney did
everything possible to keep the process moving a long and we ended up signing
the final documents in the parking lot next to our house.
The
following weeks were full of remodeling parts our new house, going through all
our accumulations from 17 years of marriage and 7 children, getting our town
home ready to put on the market, hauling loads and loads of stuff across town, digging
up a big garden and just all kind of general transitioning from urban to
country.
Selling our
home on Pine Street ended up being a journey all of its own, but one that ended
beautifully. After our original buyers
backed out, we were able to offer our home to family friends who were moving
from Pittsburg to Meadville. The timing worked out perfectly for them and we
were so happy to be able to pass our home (which we loved very dearly) on to people
that we know.
Early August
we enjoyed a 3-day trip to Michigan, along with Amos’ extended family, to
surprise his sister Linda for her 50th birthday party. Traveling on
a charter bus was a first-time experience for our children. The delight was
doubled by sharing the ride with a bunch of cousins. There was plenty of fun,
food, games, laughter, good conversation and memories to last a long time in
those 3 days spent together.
Our children were happy to head back to school
the end of August after what felt like a long break from the classroom. While
there is still uncertainty about the future, we are grateful for each day that
they can have in person schooling.
Angeline
turned 16 this fall. Amos lost a few more hair and I gained a few new grey
ones. Truly, we love having an extra
driver in the house and anticipate the day when she can drive independently. She
also was thrilled to join the youth group this fall. She is our in-resident
laundry lady, barber, pianist and deer slayer.
Nicholas is
14 years old and quickly passed me up in stature this past year. He is our
senior hunter, grounds manager and mechanic. In his spare time, he loves to work on scroll
saw projects, tear apart engines and read. He is enjoying a robotics class at
school this fall. This winter he plans to remodel his attic bedroom.
Joshua
joined the teenagers in our home just of yesterday. He was excited to finally be old enough to go
hunting with the older guys this year. Joshua is our quiet but dependable and
diligent workhorse. He has won Isaiah’s favor by devoting lots of time and
energy to him.
Christopher
is our party animal. He is happiest surrounded by people and a swirling tornado
of books, craft supplies, games, good food and conversation. He loves pretty much
any sport and works hard to compete with his older brothers. He enjoys disc
golfing and has quite the arm for a 10-year-old.
Cassie is 7 years
old and enjoying 2nd grade. In fact, she loves school so much that
she often plays school with Elliana in the evening. Cassie is full of energy
and spirit. She likes spending time out in the woods by our small frog pond.
Fishing in our pond here on the new property has been a pleasure for her. I
think she would fall in the category of a “tom boy”.
Elliana, on
the other hand, is our girly girl. She loves playing with her doll babies and
calico critters and writing letters to her friends. She spends a lot of time playing
with Isaiah and reporting on all his demolition projects. It’s a big responsibility
for a 5-year-old sister to stay on top of him.
It is hard
to believe our baby is 2 years old. Isaiah’s greatest accomplishments this year
were getting potty trained and learning to talk. Currently he loves to talk
about the hunting accomplishments of his family. He has an exciting life being the youngest of 7.
He thrives on the attention of his family. Naturally, we all think he is the
most charming, intelligent and lovable 2-year-old in the universe.
This fall
Amos enrolled in Servant Institute, a 2-year training program that FBEP offers
for leaders. There are some opportunities for me to join him at certain times
in this training and development. While this does not feel like a great time to
be adding more to our plate, we are excited about the opportunity to grow as individuals
and leaders. Our hope is to become better equipped to serve our church and community.
Certainly,
much more could be said about the experiences of 2020.
We are
grateful for the faithfulness of Jesus.
We are grateful for the ways that Jesus speaks to us through the faith,
love and works of His children!!
Immanuel.