This morning I opened my email to find that WordPress had made a nifty little year in review of my blog.  As I was looking it over I realized that my blog is kind of like a review of the last year of my life. So much has happened this year and a lot of it I have written about in the blog.

As I start each new year I always reflect on the past year and look to the new year as a fresh start. When I look over this past year I am amazed at how many blessings and huge life changes happened to me in 2013. This was the year I started seeing more and more of God’s plan for my life revealed as I have watched myself embark on a path I never dreamed I would be on, seeing more and more exciting parts of the journey unfolding before me each day.

This past year I watched as God seemed to help me step out of my comfort zone more and more. This year I started a new job at my church. This time last year I was not even looking for a job and I really never dreamed that if I did get a new job it would be at a church. I still find that kinda cool a little scary for me but I do love the job and it’s been such a blessing for me.

In March I went to Haiti with Compassion, which I do have to say was probably the highlight of my year. While there in Haiti I met my sponsored child Thierry which was really really awesome. Not only did I get to meet Thierry while there but I also had a huge attitude adjustment and found out that I would never be the same person ever again. I also met Rose  while in Haiti and sponsored her.  I just recently found out that Thierry’s family is doing much better so he no longer in need of my sponsorship. I am so very thankful I was able to meet him before he moved on to a better life.

This year I also I had 2 knee surgeries which did not go as well as I had hoped and I have yet another eye issue going on.  Those things threw me into a bit of a fog but with the help of my family, friends and most of all God I am getting through it quite well and I have learned that God will give us the strength we need to get through whatever comes our way.

I could go on and on here talking about all the events of this past year but really you have probably heard them all before and if you haven’t and you really want to know all those stories there is a row over to the right of this page with every blog post ever posted on this blog. Though the year has had a few downs I really do have to say it’s been a good year full of mostly ups, God is always good and I am so very thankful for this place he has put me in. No matter how old we get we always are still learning and I do know that I have learned a whole lot this year.

This year I learned that no matter how tough life can be…God is always tougher.

If God asks you to do it,..he will equip you to do it.

Bad things do happen… but I also learned that no matter how bad things are there is always a blessing to be had in the midst of it all.  

And the biggest thing I have found this year is if you look for joy you will always find it…even if places that you may think it could never be found..

Two years ago I set out to write a blog because God told me to do it, I did not have a clue as to what I would ever write about but yet there always seems to be a story and always a reader somewhere in the world who reads it.  For whatever reason he continues to keep it going and I have to say I have been extremely blessed by it all and also by those of you I have gotten to know here, and also on your own blogs.  As I close out the year 2013, I would like to say thank you to all of you who continue to come by my blog and read it. Some of you leave a like or a comment and some just silently stop by and never say a word. Every single one of you are part of this blog and a part this blessing. It is WAY WAY more than I ever could have imagined or expected could happen,Thank YOU. God is really awesome isn’t he??  🙂

Thanks once again for reading and I hope you see many blessings in the coming year.  Happy New Year to you!

P.S.  Below is the year in review that WordPress put together for ‘A Story By Me’

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,000 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.