Glancing back...

Our refrigerator and remote refrigerator (our car) are full of dips, sauces, spreads, and custards prepared for Nathan's birthday dinner of "Fondue Bourguignonne" tomorrow night, and our New Year's Eve celebration. There's Italian bread dough waiting for tomorrow's oven, and the egg rolls are wrapped and ready to be fried tomorrow night. The house is being put in order. The meatloaf is in the oven turning itself quite nicely into our dinner. Outside the snow is once again falling softly upon our humble abode. There is a stack of dishes still awaiting in the kitchen, but they can continue to wait awhile longer. All sits in readiness to ring in 2006 - but can it really be that the year 2005 has completed its course already?

Of course, a thorough examination of our blog reveals much of what happened: The birth of Corrine, the sudden loss of Grandpa Muligano, the extensive travels, multiple conferences, fun friendships, and numerous other happenings.

What a blog cannot reveal is the little lessons learned along the way, the songs sung as we drove from coast to coast, the personal struggles, the defeats and the victories, the hopes, the disappointments, the changes, the hurts, the growth, the "inside jokes" that bring smiles to those in the know (our family) - all those little things that conduct us through the greater joys and sorrows down the path to maturity. This year we have walked (or been pushed) through a number of unexpected doors, and as we look back on 2005 we find ourselves grateful that we can fully trust in the sovereign hand of our Lord and look forward eagerly to what awaits us in 2006. Our prayer is that the Lord would see fit to continue drawing us nearer to Him, and using us in His service in the year ahead of us.

Yes, we have much to be grateful for. We have had more fun this year than is healthy... well, except that we have enjoyed fairly good health this year. We have rejoiced in countless mercies of God. We are rich in friendships across the nation - though not rich enough to willingly lose any of you! We get to call some of the very nicest and most talented people in the world "family" (of course, as Grandpa always said, it runs in the genes). Please know that each of you mean so much to our family. Some of you have known us for since we were little bitty things, some of you have but recently met us - and some of you we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting - but oh, how we thank God for each of you and all that you have brought and taught to our family! May we continue to rejoice in His love through the years ahead, and may our Lord use us together to advance His kingdom and glorify His name! To Him be all praise and honor!