Gratitude

Life is good.  I like writing that.  Gratitude.  In AA we promote an "attitude of gratitude".  Resentments are the fodder for drinking, and gratitude is the foundation of sobriety.  I have much to be grateful for these days.

Karla and I are doing well.  To say the last few years have been times of upheaval is an understatement.  Both of us have experienced significant vocational changes.  Alcoholism and treatment.  Disability. Uncertainty.  Yeah, try buying a home and then almost immediately crashing and burning.  The future often seemed uncertain.  But I'm working doing the two things I love, and Karla is dedicating herself to the fine art of being an Oma (as well as caring for Kersten's grandma.

Two things about our children.  First, each of them makes us proud to be parents.  They are pursuing their dreams and succeeding.  And secondly, what a joy it is that we have a wonderful relationship with all of them.  With all the discord in families, we are grateful for the loving relationships we have enjoyed.

Today, I am also overwhelmed with the generosity of my congregation and the direction things are going.  It's a small band of believers.  Small.  About 20 to 25 in worship on a Sunday.  We have been fortunate to have a little  money in the bank because the cost of my serving half time has been a stretch.  I think the budget is about $65,000 a year for this congregation.  Now just run the numbers on that for a moment.  We have to average about $3,000 per year from each person attending worship.  We've comforted ourselves that we have the reserves to weather some budgetary shortfalls.

And then the last two weeks.  Major year end gifts have left us not only in the black for the year, but have doubled our reserves.  Doubled.  I can't tell you how many times the council has wondered if we would be able to survive, but we have taken it one day at a time.  And then, two weeks.  Two offerings that exceeded all expectations.  Our members believe in the future of our ministry and have invested themselves heavily to make that possible.  What a joy it is to serve among such committed people.

We have a home.  This means two things for me.

When we came to Sandpoint nearly twenty years ago I had a goal.  I wanted to give my younger two children what I hadn't been able to give my older two, and what I never had myself.  A home.  A hometown, specifically.  Roots.  A place to return to.  That has happened.  Not only were they able to remain in Sandpoint throughout their youth, they have both found employment and remain here.  We enjoy interacting with them on a daily/weekly basis.  And we are able to be a significant part of our first grandchild's life.  Gratitude.

Less important than that, but still significant is our house.  Karla and I made the most significant financial decision of our lives when we stretched to buy this house.  And the timing couldn't have been worse, or better.  Both, actually.  We moved in the first of September, and I hit rock bottom the 14th of October.  Thankfully I had disability to help pay the mortgage.  We had made a significant withdrawal from my pensions to get into this house.  It seemed that we gambled a lot, and financial gambles are generally not a good thing for a bipolar person.  Bipolar people tend to not have a very good record in such matters. . .

But we bought at the low point in the market.  And as it turned out, we needed a place to live as we would have had to move out of the parsonage following my resignation.  What's delightful is that our investment has done well.  According to some of the value estimators, we now have more equity in the home than we owe.  In the end, the most questionable of all the financial decisions we have made will likely be the best decision we have made.  Oh, I realize that there will be ups and downs in the real estate market.  And that is rather irrelevant because we have no interest in selling.  But we have a home and that is important.

It's Christmas.  What a wonderful time.  We will celebrate with all our family.  We still have that privilege.  And again, we are grateful.  Grateful for the goodness of God that has sustained and blessed us throughout these years.

Peace to all of you this Christmas Eve.