Once
again, our family ends the year overflowing with thankfulness at the number of
blessings God has given us! Of course,
He sent some challenges and crosses too, but we are learning that even those
can become blessings if we rely on God’s grace to carry them. One of our biggest blessings this year was
the news that we are expecting another sweet son in the spring. He will fit right in with his older brothers! May God give Paul and me the grace to raise
these boys to become holy gentlemen to love and serve Him as they grow up! As we begin a New Year, I asked each member
of my family to brainstorm what they were thankful for in 2012 and to ponder
what might be some goals for 2013. Here
is the list we created, and perhaps you’d like to do the same with your family—
Paul:
· Thankful list for 2012: my compassionate wife, a healthy family, my broken
wrist healing from my snowboard accident last February (I’m sure my jump in the
terrain park looked cool though…until I landed), a good paying job with the FAA,
and the exercise of taking my gun for long walks in the fall mountains for no
apparent reason.
· Goals for 2013: not to break anything while skiing this year
(I’m retiring from my snowboard), a big (ok ANY) elk for Joseph’s first
year of hunting, to welcome a new son into our family, and to win the weight
loss competition with my brother Dann.
Maria:
· Thankful list for 2012: my holy husband who points me heavenward, great-behaved
boys that make me smile every day, my supportive girlfriends who encourage me
in my faith-journey, bubble baths, graces from the Eucharist, learning how to
snow ski, and two books that have changed my soul for the better: 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and The Diary of
St. Faustina.
· Goals for 2013: to pray the rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy
every day, to laugh more, to do some quilting, to love my family and my Savior
more perfectly, to help others love Jesus more, to learn how to take better pictures
for our family blog: (www.atotustuusfamily.blogspot.com).
Joseph:
· Thankful list for 2012: skiing the backside of Discovery Ski Hill,
catching a 20 inch walleye with grandpa Pat, pitching in my baseball league,
learning to play the violin, hanging out with my school buddies, altar serving,
practicing archery with daddy, and mountain biking with friends.
· Goals for 2013: to ski more double-black diamonds, try out
new ski hills, shoot my first deer or elk, become better at baseball, catch a
world-record Northern Pike, make more paracord bracelets, and to grow in
holiness.
Michael:
· Thankful list for 2012: skiing, becoming an altar server at the
Cathedral, playing baseball with my classmates, going hunting with daddy, going
fishing in SD with grandpa Pat, going to Silverwood Amusement Park with my
friend Alex, camping in the mountains, and going mountain biking with my friends.
· Goals for 2013: to grow closer to Jesus, become better at
skiing, baseball and piano, to be kinder to others, learn how to catch more
fish, make more paracord bracelets, and to be a helpful big brother when the
new baby comes.
Dominic:
· Thankful list for 2012: going to South Dakota to play with grandma,
grandpa, and my cousins, starting Kindergarten at St. Andrew Catholic School,
learning how to read, playing baseball, snow skiing, and building with Legos.
· Goals for 2013: to catch some big fish, go to grandma and
grandpa’s house, play baseball, do more camping, and become better at playing
the piano.
Nathanael:
· Thankful list for 2012: big brothers to play with, playing with
anything that has wheels, reading books with mommy or daddy, my teddy and monkey
to snuggle with at night, and a cat to chase around the house.
· Goals for 2013: to be a good big brother to the new baby, to
be 100% potty trained, and to stop throwing tantrums when I don’t get what I
want.
We
pray that God blesses all of your families abundantly this year and helps you
to see all the gifts you have to be thankful for! This season reminds me that the greatest gifts
of all to be thankful for are Jesus’ sacrificial love and His abundant mercy—to
bring us those gifts is why He came to this earth on that Holy Night so long
ago. May we embrace those great gifts
with all our hearts in this New Year, and may we learn to constantly say like
St. Faustina did, “JESUS, I TRUST IN
YOU!”
