Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

The past year has been a rough one for the Stevenson family. Our family spent the summer either separated from each other or crowded into a studio apartment in Arlington, VA. The stress of a new job, selling one house, buying another, dealing with the movers, leaving old friends, making new ones, finding a new church where they don't handle snakes (joking), finding a new grocery store, finding a new life.

New job, new house, new city, new commute, new attitude, new church, new co-workers, new boss. We are just now settling in after the massive changes in our life over the past nine months and realizing how thankful we are for the support of our family and friends during that tumultuous period. Whether it has been well-timed advice, a kind word at just the right time, or just knowing that someone is there if it all fell apart and we really needed them, you cannot imagine how much we value each and every person's friendship.

So we head into the Christmas season hoping for many things but mostly for a renewal of our adventuresome family spirit and a return to the calm, steady devotion that has marked our Christian family walk. Thomas Paine said "These are the times that try men's souls". I realize that Mr. Paine was referring to larger issues than one family's struggle with change but I must say that 2004 tried the soul of the Stevenson family.

I hope that, like Job, we were found worthy.

The adventure continues...