Well I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I know that we have. I want to start off this first blog of the new year by saying thank you to all of you who have been there for us this past year.

Many people would call what we went through a bad time, but we call it a learning time. God taught me so much during Michael's unemployment. One of the best things that He taught me was to be content with what you have and enjoy it. Before this I was never satisfied with what I had. I always wanted more and thought the more I had the happier I would be and the more people would like me. The truth is the more that I tried to obtain the more depressed and unhappy I became. When I could not obtain the things I wanted when I wanted them then I became more unhappy. It took Michael's being laid off to make me realize that it wasn't things that I needed but God and the love that He wants to share with me and then in turn give to others. When I started giving love to others, true love, I started getting true love back in abundance. I now know what being a true friend is all about and how to be one. I have also learned that God will put people in your path sometimes as a test to see how you will do. On this we just have to do the best we can and listen to what God would say to us during this time and do it. If we show unconditional love towards people and not things then we will get unconditional love back. Isn't that pretty cool? Things cannot give anything back. We eventually get tired of them and want more. Think about it, when you smile at someone don't they usually smile back. With love it's the same thing, you give it, you get it in return. This is more important than any thing can do for us and God can show us how to obtain it free of charge. Think of all the money that you can save. Now, I am not saying quit buying things. We all like our toys in life and each of us has the little kid inside of us that is so excited when we get something new that we can't wait to play with it. And I believe that God put that there. We just need to realize that things cannot and will not ever do for us what God can. He freely loves us no matter what. If we want to call ourselves Christian then shouldn't imitate this?

1Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.