This last month was a roller-coaster for me. I knew from the beginning it would be busy – I was going to be participating in NaNoWriMo, my oldest son’s wedding is the first week in December, and the holidays are always a bustling time. And… in the last half of October my best friend’s mother passed away, so I was already raw with emotion.

Then November arrived. The first week wasn’t too bad. I celebrated my birthday with friends and family. I sold a few of my books at a Christmas Craft Fundraiser. I got to meet  some local writers at the NaNo Kick-Off party. I wrote… a lot. I got my 50K words done early on. I was good. I was wrestling with a mild sinus infection, but I was grateful for getting so much done in just a few weeks.

My father-in-law, whom I adore, started having health issues. My dad, whom I love and work with every day, began having some health issues. My husband and I have been renovating our old house for my son and his new bride, and it began having issues. Things were still proceeding, but everything seemed like an uphill battle.

The house projects had to be adjusted to accommodate budget restraints, but we were on schedule. We had about 10 days of work when we were about 14 days out from the wedding. But then the weather turned. Fall became winter almost overnight, and the gas hadn’t been turned on at the house. No texturing, painting, or plumbing can happen when the house is below 40 degrees. We lost our 4 days of cushion.

And then the worst happened. My sweet father-in-law passed away, just two days before Thanksgiving. He was a wonderful Christian man, and I am filled with peace when I consider that he is no longer in pain, but celebrating an eternity with his Lord in Heaven. The family (he has six children) all came together for the first time in half a dozen years. Once they were all in town, they did the thing that Dad always encouraged them to do together. They sang. For a full five days, our clan gathered, reminisced, played their instruments, ate too much food, hugged, and sang. It was sweetness and tears.

We have said good-bye to one family member, and now we are preparing to welcome a new daughter to our family. The house won’t be finished when they move in, but the newly-weds understand. They’re willing to live around a bit of remodeling for a while. It’s family. For that, we are most grateful.

My blog is suffering for all of this, but that’s okay. I will Toast the Cinema again. I will finish a few projects for my family first, though. Thank you for bearing with me. The new month is here, and it’s going to be better.

May God bless you this December. I wish you all the very best of the season.