Daye by Daye

It’s a Wonderful Life

Remember no man is a failure who has friends.

~Clarence in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Dear Friends and Family,

As we watched the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” last night, a tradition that always causes me to reminisce about my sweet Daddy who loved this movie, I was struck by how successful my life has been. I am surrounded by friends who have stuck by my side and loved me in spite of difficulty. Since I have also experienced rejection, this gift is even more dear to me.

And so, I wanted to take this time to thank YOU for your friendship, for the impact you have had on my life whether in the past or currently. Friendship is a gift and I recognize that I am a blessed recipient. Thank you!

A few years ago, I stopped sending Christmas cards. I LOVE receiving them and so my decision was fraught with guilt at the time, because I don’t like not reciprocating. However, it was one of the best decisions for the sake of our family to be able to fully enjoy the time leading up to Christmas. In lieu of Christmas cards, I decided to start posting our annual updates in this space and that tradition continues.

Our year started with more doctors appointments and a third surgery for our Ainsley girl for a recurring thyroglossal duct cyst. It was hard to watch her go through this again and the unknowns have been difficult to face, but what we have discovered along the way is the importance of submitting to God’s purpose knowing that His plan for her is good. Ainsley has had a beautiful attitude through it all and as this year closes, we are thrilled to be able to report that her neck is healing and we are continuing to trust God to write His story in her life.

Dave and I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago in February to celebrate twenty years since graduating from Moody Bible Institute. We had a wonderful time with family as my sister and brother-in-law were there for their 25th class reunion and our nephew was a freshman at our alma mater. We also had the pleasure of meeting our niece’s fiance. It was a special and memorable trip!

In March, Lindsay and Ethan had the opportunity to perform in a musical on the book of Acts at a local Christian School. As we watched them thrive in this environment, we were reminded of God’s sweetness in allowing them to be involved as homeschoolers in a school play. It was remarkable!

Over Mother’s Day weekend, we took a vacation to the Outer Banks and Washington D.C. We made countless precious memories on this trip and it was just what our family needed. We had the opportunity to see long time friends and family on the trip as well which was a sweet ending to a wonderful vacation.

Our time away was timely, because soon after, our church began a time of renovation. Much of the building was gutted to reconfigure the sanctuary (enabling us to move back to one service), to enlarge the foyer space and to add more usable classroom space. There have been setbacks along the way resulting in a much longer process than expected, but we are all eager and excited about the completion of the renovation. Here’s a current picture of the new foyer…

This Fall, we began our third year of homeschooling, joining a local cooperation of like minded homeschool families called Gloria Deo Co-op. Lindsay is in 10th grade, Ethan is in 8th grade, Gibson is 4th grade and Ainsley is in Kindergarten. I am teaching a “Great Books” class for 11th and 12th graders and enjoying it immensely. It has been a big jump from teaching preschool last year, but the challenge has been a good one!

Dave and I have been taking any spare moments we can to connect with one another in this busy season of our lives. We were gifted with the opportunity for a little getaway around Thanksgiving and it was a joyous time for us. Now we are gearing up for Christmas and making new memories with our family.

As this year comes to a close, we are focusing on the light that came into the darkness of this world in the person of Jesus Christ. We see this light continuing to shine in dark places and pray that we too would shine with the light of Christ. Our scripture prayer for this year has been from Philippians 2:14-16…

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

We’re still working on the grumbling bit and we are far from blameless and innocent, but we continue to pray that we would hold fast to the word of life and shine as lights in this world. If you ever have any questions about the hope that is available to all of us in Christ, please reach out. I would love to chat with you about this light that shines in the darkness!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Love,

The Daye Family