And so it has come to pass, 2019 is no longer and 2020 is already humming along. My biggest regret is not writing as much as I would have liked, whether it’s my blog, a new book, or keeping in touch with friends distant and near.
Apart from the above, it was a great year. We welcomed a new grandbaby who brings as much joy as her brother who is an engaging 20 month old. There is such perfection, a purity to the joy one experiences when a little one hugs you or shows affection for you know there are no filters. It’s pure love.
Although the honeymoon period is officially over after three years of marriage, I find myself still going gaga over my husband. He still moves me for he always strives to be the best version of who he is. Having said that, marriage has had its ups and downs, there have been tears, personal challenges to grow more and more. Yes, marriage is sanctifying but I really like what my SD told me recently, look at it as a process that allows you to bloom into the woman God created all those years ago. It’s a beautification process of the soul. I have picked up bad habits in my own family, we both have past baggage, but that doesn’t mean we are stuck. If we want to change, it is well possible. We simply need to desire it, pray tons, and put some elbow grease into making it work.
Our most edifying trip this year was a self-drive holiday in Kyushu where we embarked on the hidden Christian trail. Not only did we visit Nagasaki, we also found a string of little hidden churches along the coastal road (Kyushu was where Roman Catholicism spread in Japan and there are still vibrant Catholic communities based there. Incidentally a lot of these tiny churches are UNESCO World Heritage sites.) and we tracked down churches the MEP missionaries built. We visited a museum filled with Maximilian Kolbe’s personal effects. We saw many relics and the effects of the hard work of those saints, known and unknown who came before us. Many martyrs gave their lives for the faith and the faith is still alive in the land. We even made an impromptu visit to a Missionaries of Charity convent. And, of course, we ate some excellent Japanese food.
A short unexpected trip to Paris was a highlight late summer. Again visiting saints’ relics in various churches was inspiring and I simply adored the gardens and museums I visited. I was on culture overload and I loved it! Plus the rose garden at the Rodin Museum was incredibly beautiful with roses as big as saucer plates.
The last nine months have seen me indulging my passion for roses. When I discovered I could grow roses here it was truly a joyous moment. I now have a sizeable collection of roses, hibiscus and adeniums and I even have a little herb garden on my verge. My neighbours have been quite tolerant and have allowed me to grow plants on verges directly opposite their houses. I have learned heaps from cultivating my roses for it takes constant work and they are prone to all kinds of pests. So great patience and assiduous pruning and spraying are required. The joy and satisfaction of seeing a rose plant bloom is unparalleled
To give myself some personal space, I declared Thursdays my off days at the beginning of 2019. I have been able to spend more time with my mother, doing what we both like, and I have also taken up ukulele lessons again although my lack of practice keeps me in beginner/intermediate mode.
The highlight of P and my spiritual lives is reading out aloud from the Bible every night and our couple prayer time. It has drawn us closer as a couple for sure. We took up the challenge Father Bobby Emprayil gave us when we attended a retreat he gave in October.
What do I wish for in 2020? Nothing out of the ordinary, simply to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow with Him more nearly.
