The New Year's Eve question asked what my favorite memory of the past year was. Since I have at least three very special people in my life, I couldn't pick just one. So I picked one memory for each of the people who are most dear to me.
My favorite memory with my husband was a week we spent back in August in Traverse City. Just the two of us in the dwindling days of summer. We stayed at a small cottage that we had rented the previous year, and as soon as we walked in the door, I immediately felt happy and relaxed. It's one of those kinds of places. It's small and a little rustic. A screened-in porch looks out over a small inland lake. The yard is filled with tall pines, and everything smells fresh and summery. The kids were welcome to come with us, but Katie was finishing up her photojournalism internship, and Jonathan thought he had nailed down a job and shouldn't be away. And while I love my kids and would have enjoyed having them, I must say that it was a lovely week for just the two of us. We'd have a leisurely time in the mornings, eating breakfast and then sitting out on the porch reading books while the sun grew warmer. We'd stop now and then to watch the bird activity in the trees in the yard or out on the lake. The weather was perfect all week, and we filled the afternoons with hiking, canoeing, taking a sailboat cruise in Charlevoix, and eating at restaurants we wouldn't have eaten at if there had been four of us. Not all couples are at a place in their lives where they can get away for an entire week by themselves, but if you are, I encourage you to go create what will be one of your favorite memories for 2013.
Katie gave me my favorite memory this fall. I had purchased some beautiful mums for the front porch--the prettiest color of crimson I had ever seen. I placed the planter them in a little plant stand, but it wasn't quite as big as the stand, so there was "wiggle room." I don't remember what had happened that day, but I do remember that it had been one of those crazy days filled with minor frustrations. It had also been a windy day. I pulled into our driveway after work, and there was my planter of beautiful mums upside down. Ugh. Katie followed me into the house a few minutes later and asked, "What happened to your flowers?" I told her, "It's the perfect ending to the way this day has been." Henry and I had to go out for awhile, but when we returned, there was a whole new display of mums with one large planter and three small ones around it that had been left by my lovely mum fairy, Katie. What a sweet gesture of love--and what a great memory to have just weeks before my girl got married and became a real grown-up.
Jonathan gave me my favorite memory last spring during baseball season (I can't believe I'm saying that; I'm a sports anti-fan). I admire people who aren't afraid to put themselves out there and try something new, which is exactly what Jonathan did. All through school, he had never played any sports. But at his small, Christian high school, the teams were desperate for players, so there were no cuts, and everyone was welcome to join the team. His junior year, he joined the basketball team and then the baseball team. In both sports, he spent a lot of time on the bench, but he was a winner because he got himself into great physical condition and learned a lot about working hard, pushing himself to try new things, and being part of a team. This past year--his senior year--he played basketball and baseball again, but in baseball, he played most of the season. His junior year the baseball team had been made up of players from two small schools, so there were lots of players. This past year, the baseball team was made up of just players from West Michigan Lutheran, and most of them were fairly young and inexperienced--and they had just enough to make a team. Jonathan struggled for most of the season, learning and improving, like the other players, and losing more games than winning, but finally, in his last game, something clicked. They were playing against the team they had played with the previous year, and they really wanted to win. Jonathan was playing right field, as usual, and he had been steadily improving at it all season. At bat, he finally connected with the ball and hit a pop fly that was caught, but none of the fans cared because we were so thrilled that he finally hit the ball. The team made an amazing comeback and beat their rivals, and Jonathan contributed by catching a couple of pop flies to right field. Afterward, during a team picture that Katie took, the other guys on the team pulled water bottles out and poured them on Jonathan--the only senior on the team. It was a great game for him to end his high school career with, and we all had fun watching the guys honor Jonathan by soaking him.
So 2012 was an eventful year for our family: Jonathan graduated from high school and started college, and Katie and Ryan got married in November. Many changes, many memories. It will be interesting to review my journal eventually and trace the providences, thoughts, and events of five years. 
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