Today's post is actually from my mom. Yesterday, she asked me to read the Christmas letter she is sending to our extended family and their friends. As I read it, I began to cry. Not only because of the joy and triumphs experienced over the past year, but also the difficulties and sadness. Those of you who've kept up with the blog, are aware of those personal challenges as I've shared them with you.

What I loved about my mom's Christmas letter is what she wrote about in the last couple of paragraphs, after she had shared the joys and sorrows. So, here is an excerpt from the letter. Who knew Ebenezer was such a positively filled expression..

"So, here we are, some days, wondering what this year of joy, sorrow and fear is all about. We think it might be summed up this way. In a pre-Thanksgiving church sermon, our pastor talked about a tradition practiced by the Hebrews and recorded in the Old Testament’s Book of Leviticus. The Jews worried that over the course of time they would forget about God’s faithfulness to them and so as a reminder, they made small piles of stones in the fields each time they experienced God’s constancy in their lives. They called them “Ebenezer’s” (yes, as in Scrooge), and over time, to their wonderment, the field was filled with these small stone piles. The word “Ebenezer”, I am told, translates to “thus far, God has sustained me.” That is the story of the Hall’s 2006 – as we look out over the landscape of this past year, it is filled with evidence of God’s faithfulness and He has sustained us.

We’ve had the joy of watching Marky, Samantha and Brandon grow; Lesley and Mark lovingly parent their children; Randy marry Jennifer, the girl of his dreams; Leanne achieve the personal fulfillment of her professional goals. As the world has tested their character and caring in difficult times, Fred and I have been blessed to observe each of our children lovingly care for their Grandmother, their Dad, and their Mom and we are blessed and filled with joy. Our faith has grown as a “family” and God has been there for us “thus far.”

We pray that each of you will have a Merry Christmas, a New Year filled with joy and awareness that your life, too, is filled with Ebenezer’s." - Pat Hall
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