Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Whew! What a year 2014 has been! On one hand I feel as though we are screeching to the end of this year amidst smoke and burning rubber. It has, indeed, been quite a year of transition and change. On the other hand we are hobbling to the end battling the last vestiges of various ailments, including the flu which hit our house just before Christmas. This has been a year filled with joy and celebration, as well as hardship and sorrow. Yet, we are so incredibly thankful for the abounding grace that we have received throughout the year. Life is not perfect, but God is good… ALL the time!
"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." Psalm 54:4
In March we traveled to Mississippi to visit Aunt Aleta and Uncle Charlie. Brianna was able to join us for the trip and it was a lovely reprieve from the long, cold winter here in Missouri.
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| Brianna, Jackson, Jonathan, Aleta, Mama, Charlie |
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| Mississippi Gulf Coast |
In April we were again blessed to see Aleta and Charlie, this time as they visited us. We had intended to meet in Branson, but Mama fell on the ice and broke her ankle, making that trip impossible. Instead, Aleta and Charlie came to see us here, which allowed for a quick trip to Springfield to visit Uncle Dale. It was wonderful to see the three siblings all together again.
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| Aunt Aleta, Uncle Dale, and Mama |
June took us to Cedar Falls for Rachel’s dance recital. What a joy to see her perform!! We loved visiting Cedar Falls and were happy to have the opportunity before Stephen and Rachel moved back to Oklahoma in July.
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| Rachel and Stephen |
July brought lots of visitors to Willis Creek Ranch for the Magruder family reunion and the celebration of Mama and Daddy’s 60th wedding anniversary. For one very busy weekend our houses were overflowing with laughter and singing and good times with family and friends. What a tremendous joy!! We truly are blessed.
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Colossians 3:14
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| Mama and Daddy |
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| some of the family at ATSU |
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Cousin (missing Stephen)
Susanna, James, Jackson, Rachel, Matthew, Anna,
Hannah, and Jonathan |
August meant it was time for the state fair, one of my very favorite places to be! Not only do we truly enjoy the fair itself, but we treasure the time with family and friends who also visit the fair. If you have never been, you definitely need to plan to come in 2015!
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| at the state fair |
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| Brianna, Jackson, Jonathan and Zack with 'Mercy Me' |
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| Marvin, Jim, Zack, Mama, Daddy, and Jonathan at fair |
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| Marvin, Laura, Daddy, and Mama at fair |
Anna and Matthew spent the summer in Norman so that Matthew could intern with Kerry at the University of Oklahoma History of Science Collections. They enjoyed their time there greatly and Matthew had a terrific experience.
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Anna and Matthew celebrating their 1 year anniversary
with Brenda and Matt |
James continues in the Marine Corp and is home now for Christmas, which is a gift for all of us!
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| James, Anna, and Julie |
Julie has had a lovely houseguest for a few months, Rojina from Nepal. We are all blessed to have this time to get to know this special young lady.
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| Rojina |
Kerry, Candace, Hannah, and Susanna are all still in Norman. Kerry, as the Curator of the History of Science Collections, travels extensively to some pretty interesting locations. Last spring he traveled to Florence, Italy as part of the preparation for the upcoming exhibit ‘Galileo’s World’, scheduled to begin August 2015 at OU. This is definitely in the ‘do not miss’ category and I encourage you to check it out at galileo.ou.edu.
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| Susanna, Rachel, Stephen, Hannah, Candace, and Kerry |
Jonathan will be attending KHS as a freshman starting in January. He is excited and nervous but ready for the challenge. He hopes to try out for the tennis team in the spring. Upon turning 15 in October, Jonathan received his driver’s permit and is gaining much experience behind the wheel with various family members. I am looking forward to having another full fledged driver around the house this time next year!
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| Jonathan |
Jackson graduated from high school in May, began college courses at Moberly Area Community College in August, and moved into his own home in November. Shortly after he asked his long-time love, Brianna, to be his bride and the date is set for Saturday, July 18. We are all quite happy and excited for the couple and look forward to our families being officially united… something we already feel deeply.
"Love one another deeply, from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22
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| Jackson and Brianna |
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| Adrian, Jackson and Brianna - three graduates |
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| Jackson and Brianna - newly engaged |
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our combined family...
Marvin, Laura, Jonathan, Jackson, Brianna, Cody, Shonda, Alaina, Jeremy |
Brianna is a freshman at Truman State University majoring in Music Education. We enjoy seeing and hearing her perform with the university wind symphony and in an all female a cappella group, Minor Detail.
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| Brianna singing with Minor Detail |
Daddy came out of retirement (again!) to teach Chemistry at Moberly Area Community College. We are so proud of him for doing that and know that there are young people being blessed by his efforts. Mama had a bit of a tough year health-wise. She broke her ankle in an icy fall back in April, but was back on her feet in time for she and Daddy to enjoy a June trip west to Wyoming. This fall she was struck with debilitating pain caused by occipital neuralgia. However, we rejoice that as we entered this holiday season she was greatly improved and perhaps even healed!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever..." Psalm 136:1
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| Daddy and Mama at Yellowstone |
I started 2014 with an awareness that something in my body wasn’t right… but I had no idea that September would bring surgery for a complete hysterectomy. Overall I feel SO much better now, however the combination of issues I was having prior to surgery and the actual recovery time resulted in my regaining quite a bit of my previously lost weight. I am now feeling much stronger (even wearing real pants, not just stretchy ones!) and am looking forward to getting back out on the walking trail in January. After all, I need to be trim and fit by July 18! :)
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| Jonathan, Marvin, Laura, Brianna, and Jackson |
Marvin continues to be the glue that holds everything together. He works with our horses, mentors young people through the teaching of horsemanship, and just generally makes everything right in our world… even when the world is turning upside down. My thankfulness certainly focuses on the blessing of him in my life.
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| Marvin with Governor |
We are not promised a life without pain, but we are absolutely provided with grace and mercy and strength sufficient to push through when it seems that things are all out of order. 2014 brought its share of pain and sorrow as we lost many who were so dear to us, including my cousin Steve, and two very special friends. And throughout the various illnesses of the fall we found great comfort in the prayers and kindnesses shown by so many of you. Through it all we have rested in the hands of our loving Heavenly Father; His mercies are new every morning. And we continue to give thanks for a miraculous gift - that we can see even a portion of God’s love for us reflected in the faces of our family and friends.
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy
that we feel before our God because of you?" 1 Thessalonians 3:9
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| Christmas 2014 |
Merry Christmas and much love,
Marvin, Laura, Jonathan, Jackson (and Brianna!)
We are all on Facebook and enjoy the opportunity to keep up with friends and family near and far. Look us up if you are also there. Additionally, I try to keep up with our family blog. You can see it at http://lifeatwilliscreekranch.blogspot.com. We would love to hear from you!
The main thing about grace isn’t that it meets your needs but that it totally surpasses them.
What Christ brings into the world is much more than anybody needs.
From a blog post entitled “Stained glass for cows: Christmas reflections”
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