A midnight race through Central Park
to ring in the brand new year;
a Texas 40th birthday party
with folks Mel holds so dear.

Back home to lots of baseball games~
spring, summer, and how does “fall ball” sound?
Kory managed to make his favorite sport
last the whole year round.
We even saw our first Red Sox game
after just 10 short years in M-A.
Big Papi’s first homerun of the season~
What fun to finally be at Fenway!

Kayla danced and sang in a choir,
planted a garden, and played with her bunnies.
She studied the Bible with girlfriends all summer,
and fell in love with Hobbes and Garfield funnies.

Guitar, backyard football, a Lego sports center
filled Cooper’s days  (Kory’s, too),
and bike trips to UMass for basketball fun
to escape Saxon math as their sure doom.

We escaped to Maine quite often~
anniversaries, retreats, and vacations;
lobster, steak, and Cadillac Mountain.
So blessed by this close destination.
New Hampshire, too: first back-packing trip~
White Mountains, 3 days, 2 nights.
23 mile loop?  No Problem. (Ha!)
We’re still getting over our fright!

Mel spent her days in the kitchen & “classroom”~
Meals, menus, math, and Punnet squares;
Austen, Dickens, even Francis Schaeffer,
and new varieties of farm squash to compare.
She loved teaching Sunday  “University”
to young women with hearts to learn
which labels and thoughts to abandon;
that Christ’s love is given, not earned.

There were youth camps, conferences, baptisms,
sermons, small groups and more~
church renovations, wedding invitations;
Robert’s gifts used like never before.
New churches planted, young pastors encouraged,
a wife and kids were loved so well.
His humble heart with passion and vision
Really never ceases to swell.

Still grieving the loss of our “Buddy.”
Our golden boy is so sorely missed,
and though he’ll never quite be replaced.
a new puppy’s on every one’s list.

Surely blessed, but often overwhelmed;
life seems so hard to maintain~
people, tasks, needs never ceasing,
by just One we are daily sustained.
Our hope, the anchor of our souls,
in joy and sorrow mixed.
We trust Him daily for endurance
on Jesus our eyes desperately fixed.