New year.
New eyes.
An old dresser.
Dressed up to now hold Lego.
We have copious amounts of Lego.
Sexy Neck took an old family dresser.
Painted it with old white molding paint.
Added some leftover chalkboard paint, with the boys help.
Glued on the Lego bases that the boys got for Christmas.
Viola!
A new thing.
To help us keep things organized in the new year!
I am extremely grateful.
Great work boys.
More snow than in over seventy years.
First ‘snow’ day school closures in over forty years.
Days of snow falling.
Big thick snowy flakes pouring from the sky.
Great memories with friends and the three brothers playing together.
Hours upon hours of creativity and outside snow time.
It has been a monumental Epiphany.
Nope, no epiphany for me today.
Another kind of Epiphany.
We are celebrating the twelfth day after Christmas that symbolizes the three wise men arriving from the East to worship the newborn King, Jesus.
Here’s the boys Epiphany play:
The wise men have spent the last weeks traveling from a faraway box land arriving in our bookshelf stable in Bethlehem.
We created three ice candles and placed them in our front yard, which is coincidently (or not) to the East of our home. We didn’t realize this was the East until JC pointed it out.
Sexy Neck read about the three Wise Men and we eventually talked about how we both came to know God personally in a private manner.
My beginnings with God began, coincidently, with a writing journal in my bedroom and for Sexy Neck, he came to know God through snow. Another coincidence? Hmmmm….
It was a privilege to celebrate Epiphany today and it is an even larger privilege to know a personal God where snow is the gift of “Epiphany”.
Being alive is not only the opposite of being dead.
Being alive is also ALERT and ACTIVE
Alert.
Active.
In the last year, my life has being painfully touched with the cycle of life and death.
I have tasted the acidity of death.
I have reflected on the sweet life lived by my precious mom.
As I think about 2014, which started five days after my mom’s death, I am acutely aware that my year could have been different without the prayer of my “people”, the presence of some very wise souls and my brood of boys that surround me.
I would not have survived without these “Saints”!
![IMG_7913[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_79131.jpg?w=300&h=300)
(Yup, that’s me on the right after our workout!)
With my whole heart, mind and soul, I want to shout:
I am ALIVE.
I am ALERT.
God is ACTIVE all around me.
Working things out for His good.
Helping me see His ways.
Allowing me the privilege to taste life anew.
Savouring each workout with incredible women in His creation.
Doing things for the first time, things I thought I would NEVER do.
Enjoying every moment with people I love and adore.
![IMG_7914[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_79141.jpg)
I am grateful to be ALIVE.
A day to celebrate.
A time to remember.
Hiking up.
Sharing stories.
Letting go.
December 26th, 2014
The boys ran ahead and look what they made:
I am continually amazed at the boys ability to remember, feel sadness and pour out love.
This blog post was started in the summertime as I was playing a “healthy living” game with my friend Penny and an old neighbour and her friend T. I had to add to the post after our ski vacation a few days ago… and finally introduce you to one wonderful human being and friend. Formally know on my blog as Princess P and now just Penny.
Here is a photo of the people playing our summertime game: My teammate Penny and I on the right and our wonderful opponents on the left. 
Here are my boys sharing some after dinner books at Auntie Penny’s house. My boys cherish the wonderful books she had for her own children. We love going over to their house for dinner!
Penny made a special point to celebrate our middle guy’s fifth birthday before she went on an European summer holiday. He was thrilled with the very special transformer and book she bought him.
And now while they were working hard to renovate their bathrooms and get ready for their own three wonderful children’s arrival, Penny and Bob came to spend a few wonderful hours with our family on the ski hill.
Penny knew my mom always made PJ’s for my boys at Christmastime and look what she got the boys:
![IMG_7671[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_76711.jpg)
One of the other gifts that my mom has always given me over the years is a knitted scarf and look what I pulled out of the Christmas bag from Penny:
![IMG_7669[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_76691.jpg)
A very lovely, hand-loving-made scarf!
The depth of gratitude I feel is incredible.
When you lose someone important in your life, there is a HUGE hole.
Forever.
The greater the love, the deeper the hole.
But others will lean in and close the gap.
The hole won’t pull you in and down.
People are holding me up right now in prayer and physical presence and “knowing”.
Penny has brought us such joy through these beautiful, thoughtful, handmade gifts.
These were very important to our family.
Healing through fabric.
My mom is gone, but never forgotten.
She lives on through all of us who “knew” her.
Generous.
Thoughtful.
Caring.
Kind.
Mom.
And now the power of a Penny!
![IMG_7589[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_75891.jpg)
Merry Christmas from our boys:
Three Year Old Magic Carpet Rider
![IMG_7687[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76871.jpg)
Seven Year Old Bumps & Jumps
![IMG_7686[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76861.jpg?w=338&h=445)
Five Year Old Snowball
![IMG_7685[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76851.jpg?w=338&h=445)
Laughter in the midst of tears.
Winter amidst the desert.
Rowing my boat of grief.
Riding my skis down the slopes.
Taking it ALL in.
Living it now!
Deal with it now rather than later.
I ain’t no sweeping it under the carpet kind of girl.
But I do love riding the magic carpet too!
God is gracious to give me these three amazing boys.
I love you Magic Carpet Rider, Bumps & Jumps and Snowball.
Eight years since Sexy Neck and I have skied together downhill… and yesterday we skied together for the first time as a family of five.
Amazing to stop and reflect on the past eight years.
Incredible to hear the stories of when Nana skied with Sexy Neck and JC two Christmases ago.
Awesome to feel the swoosh under my skis.
![IMG_7424[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_74241.jpg)
![IMG_7426[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_74261.jpg)
We still are planning on doing some nordic skiing with the boys.
Here they are getting ready:
Life is very simple around our house these days.
Little to no shopping.
Simple meals.
Family time.
Outside play.
Inside creativity.
Sexy Neck is very busy work. The boys have many ‘special’ events at school. I continue to row my boat of grief, remembering last December’s hospital and hospice journey with my mom and her leaving this earth on Boxing Day.
We are weary and tired!
Today, on this eleventh day of December, we had three turtle doves by our tree…
I wonder when the partridge will show up in her pear tree? Who wrote the twelves day of Christmas and how did turtles get involved? I bet that children in Tupperware bins inspired the song. (And maybe a bottle of wine?)
Simple days.
Family time.
Creative boys.
Laughter.
Inspired by a song.
And Tupperware bins.
May we all enjoy the little moments this Christmas season. Life’s BEST times are a series of little moments treasured as gifts.
What a gift we were given this evening to watch our three turtle doves!
"Be" ENOUGH 