As I write this Christmas note, we are just finishing the
first week of Advent, focusing on HOPE and it has been a particularly
meaningful week for our family as my beloved aunt unexpectedly passed away
today. The sequence of events leading up to her death over the past couple of
days have been emotionally trying and more than a few tears have been shed and
more than a few prayers have been offered.
I am so grateful for the Bible study our family has been participating
in during this Advent season and particularly for our memory verse this week as
it has helped me tremendously as I grieve my aunt and it is my prayer for each
of us this Christmas season:
“May the God of hope bring you all joy and peace as you
trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy
Spirit.”
~Romans 15:13
The truth is, all of our lives will one day come to an end.
The beauty is that for those of us who put our trust in Jesus Christ, the end
of our earthly life is just the beginning of eternal life with God. We have
heaven to look forward to! There is no greater hope than that. Today when I
learned of my aunt’s passing, after a couple of emotionally difficult days, I
honestly felt supernatural joy and peace for the first time this week, because
I know without a doubt that she is a God-loving woman and is therefore now at
peace in the presence of her Savior.
The eternal perspective God has brought me back to this week
as I have been faced with the death of a dear extended family member has been a
strong theme in our family throughout the year. It is the goal we are striving
towards. On a daily basis keeping up with the needs of two young children and
running a home, it is easy for me to be distracted and get wrapped up in the
here and now. But we have been attempting to be intentional about living our
lives in light of eternity. This has prompted us to make some family decisions
differently, to pray differently, and to focus our energy on tasks that have
the potential to affect eternity by reflecting Jesus to a needy world. We are
still very much a family in progress and, as the coming year promises to bring
some big changes for us, we look forward to what eternally significant tasks
God has planned for us in 2014. As for now, we are enjoying teaching our
children the true significance of the Christmas season we are celebrating and
looking forward to spending time with our families over the holiday.
********************
And for the typical update you might expect on a Christmas
card…
Sam and Molly started out the year by taking advantage of
Sam’s parents visiting and got away alone for a few days in Sonoma Valley, the
wine country of CA, only a couple hours from their CA home. They both agree it
was one of the best, most relaxing vacations they’ve ever had!
One of the highlights of our year was planning and hosting a
croquet match in May to benefit The A21 Campaign, an organization dedicated to
abolishing human trafficking in the 21st century. You can read more
about the event here and find out more about The A21 Campaign here.
This summer we enjoyed traveling to SC and renting a place
at the beach with both of our families. The kids enjoyed the beach and having
all their grandparents, great grandparents, and one of their uncles in one
spot!
Sam completed two master’s degree programs this year. One in
Defense Technology Systems from the National University of Singapore and
another in Mechanical Engineering from The Naval Postgraduate School.
In September we left our home of nearly 3 years in
California and started our move to Connecticut. After 7 weeks of travel
including over 5,000 miles of driving, 8 flights for Molly, 4 flights for Sam,
visiting 34 friends across the country, and a Hawaiian vacation, we arrived in
Connecticut in November. A highlight for Sam {and lowlight for Molly} was our
Na Pali coast hike on Kauai during our trip to Hawaii, which you can read about
here.
Quinn started preschool a couple of days a week this year,
which he loves. He continues to impress us with his ridiculous memory and
aptitude for any sport involving a ball. He just had his 3rd
birthday and we are celebrating next weekend with a football party {per his
request} during the Army-Navy game.
Lanie Kate just started walking {at 14 months} and is very
proud of herself. She is the sweetest, most cuddly child you will ever meet.
She loves sweets and will go ballistic for a cupcake {see this post documenting
her first cupcake experience}. Her current obsession is the book “Blue Hat
Green Hat” which she will present to you to read over and over again, laughing
at every page every single time.
Bella and Winston are keeping out of mischief for the most
part. Thanks to switching dog food brands earlier this year they are peppier
than ever {unfortunately- haha!} and missing the mild CA weather where they got
to go for long walks and play at the park every day. They are hoping daddy gets
orders to Hawaii {or maybe that’s just Molly…}.
Next year Sam will finish department head school here in
Connecticut and he will report to his next submarine, hopefully meaning another
move somewhere else. We are now enjoying
the last of our non-deployable time as a family as we anticipate Sam’s soon-approaching
return to sea tour.
Merry Christmas!
With Love,
The Fromilles
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