I almost lost Philly the other day behind the Washing Machine. Our washing machine hasn’t worked right since we got married. I think Philly thinks it’s because I put too much stuff in it, but my philospophy is “they wouldn’t make the inside that big if they didn’t mean for you to fill it up!”

But when it spins- it shakes like it’s going to beat itself to death. This is after I had the repairman put new shocks on it! So, now I’m thinking that the repairman needs to make another visit. However, when I did the laundry after our Christmas vacation with the kids I had stacked some boxes on top of the washing machine. Only to have the washing machine shake them right off. And of course they didn’t fall forward. They fell behind the washing machine. This is where the “almost lost Philly” part comes in. He decides he is going to hang over the back of the washing machine which is ridiculously tall and get dig out all of the things that had fallen behind it while I hold his legs. Which wouldn’t have been that difficult had I not been dying laughing while I was doing it. Kind of hard to hold onto someone when you’re shaking as much as the washing machine.

Then it was time to get up. He told me to pull him up. Which made the whole situation even funnier. Then he had a slight panic in his voice because his head was killing him. The poor boy had been hanging upside down for quite a while. Which got me even more hysterical which in turn prevented me being much of a help in the “pull me up” category. He finally quit depending on me and found a way to pull his own self up. By the time he was upright even his eyes were bloodshot.

When I saw his face, for a brief moment I got slightly panicked and said, “Babe, I would have had to call 911.”
He said, “I would have passed out by then.”
To which I replied. “No I would have grabbed you by the hair and pulled your head up at least.”
To which we both laughed again.

When I look back on this past year it is a combination of all of our washing machine moments. It has held times of shaking. Shaking off still painful pieces of my past. My rejection issues, my selfishness… It has held times of hysterical laughter. Like every time Philly hurts himself, which is remarkably often, I belly laugh. Or Thanksgiving Night when we tormented our children by dressing up as Pilgrim’s , “Gertie and Buford Bucksnort” (we were southern pilgrim’s) and told the story of the first Thanksgiving. Or my youngest “bonus daughter’s” comment New Year’s eve when I said we were going to toast in the New Year and when she wouldn’t drink the sparkling cider looked at me and said, “Can I still have some toast.” … And it has held moments of desperation. Moments when I have sat crying in my closet wanting my mama! And it has held moments of bloodshot eyes and a desperate clinging to my Father. Who has proven so capable of my grip.

I love to look back and remember. I do it at the end of ever year. I write down all of the beautiful ways God moved and all the beautiful things that happened that year. And I remember. And then I look forward. I look forward with expectation of what God will do this year. Of how He’ll move. How He’ll surprise. How He’ll heal. How He’ll provide. How He’ll delight. And I get excited to know that I will get to be a part of all of it!

What was your biggest shaking of last year? What made you laugh hysterically? What made you hold on desperately? And what are you excited to see this year?

Side Note: This is the beginning of a new year and more interactive website at denisehildrethjones.com Coming in the next few days you will have the opportunity to sign up for our email posts and get them sent to you directly in your email box as soon as I post them. And each Monday I will post a new Musing/Devotional. So check back with us and sign up to get these instantly.

And with the release of “Flying Solo: A Journey of Divorce, Healing and a Very Present God” and with the new and updated “Flying Solo” resource site at denisehildrethjones.com we will also be having some great information for singles. This new year is going to hold some wonderful things for us- so let’s enjoy this journey together as God writes all of our stories.