Christmas Letter

I had planned on posting my Christmas letter here this year and never got around to it, but I really don't like not doing things that are on my "to-do" list. I like to put a check mark by those things. So even though I know that anyone reading this has already read this letter, I am going to post it anyway. It's for me, because I want to and this is my blog. So here it is, our 2008 Christmas Letter:

Our cup runneth over…

…truly this is the way Wesley and I feel about the life God has given us. We have so much to be grateful for and want to give God the glory for it all! Here are some highlights from 2008…

For Christmas last year, Wesley and I got the kids a puppy. This was our first family pet. We had no idea that puppies were so much work. I think they are at least as hard as newborns, maybe harder! It has been worth it though. The kids were so surprised and have loved the black lab mix we named Buddy. I share this highlight, because caring for another living creature has been a big deal in our lives this past year!

After losing two baby boys (Samuel, Oct 31, 2006 and Isaiah, March 18, 2007) and having a difficult pregnancy, we welcomed another beautiful baby girl into our family on May 10, 2008 at 3:16 AM weighing 6 lbs 8 ozs and 19 ½ in long. We named her Bella Peace. She is named for her maternal great grandmother Jennie Bell Garner and for scripture the Lord gave us as we grieved the losses of our baby boys and anxiously anticipated the birth of another child. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Bella Peace means beautiful peace. Her name fits her and is a great reminder to us of the peace that only the Lord Himself can give. I wish I could say her delivery had been peaceful. It was actually the longest, hardest labor of all! But once again, totally worth it! Of course this addition trumped the addition of a family pet; I’m just going in the order in which these events occurred. 

In August, Luke started kindergarten and the whole family embarked on a journey we call homeschool! Luke is doing very well. Grace and Mary Ruth were so excited and eager that we ended up starting them on a preschool curriculum a couple of months later.

On October 14th after we read a children’s devotional at naptime, Luke said he was ready to ask Jesus into is heart. We talked about it for a few minutes. Wanting to be sure Luke understood everything and not wanting Wesley to miss out on this big event, I suggested that we wait for Daddy to come home from work to talk about it some more. Luke went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later saying he couldn’t wait and had decided to ask Jesus into his heart on his own. WOW!! From then on, he couldn’t wait to be baptized. Two months later on December 14th, Wesley had the great honor and privilege of baptizing Luke in our church, Whitesburg Baptist. 3 John 4 says it best, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” Grace and Mary Ruth have been very excited for their “Bubba” and can’t wait for their day to come. It’s so exciting to see all of the children eager towards the Gospel.
We enjoy watching all the kids grow as each year passes. It’s neat to see how God has created each of them uniquely. These days, Luke loves school, hunting, guns, and dogs. Grace is our “domestic diva” and loves to cook. She also has a great love of nature and animals as long as she doesn’t have to get too cold or too hot. She is a big help to Mommy. Mary Ruth remains our little song bird and sings her way through each day. She can be rough and tough, but is also very affectionate and nurturing. She gives the best “Mary Ruth hugs”! And, Bella Peace has been the most content baby yet. She is so tiny and petite and has such a sweet “peaceful” disposition. All of the kids really love, love, love their “hero Daddy” (name given to Wesley by Grace a while back), especially Luke who wants to be with Daddy and be like Daddy in everyway at all times. In addition to being our “hero Daddy”, Wesley continues to enjoy work for Huntsville Hospital as an Athletic Trainer serving at Madison County High School. I continue to enjoy many, many roles as wife and mother and am so grateful for the husband and children God has blessed me with.

If life in our family is starting to sound just a little too perfect, let me clarify it is not! Most of the things that have made our year great have also made our year hard. It is hard having four children and homeschooling. We face many challenges each and every day. At times it feels like the cup didn’t just runneth over, but spilled out and made a great big mess! However when we take time to really evaluate things, it’s not the hard things that come to mind. Instead it’s God’s rich blessings and tender mercies that come to mind. Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness!” We pray the coming year will be filled with God’s rich blessings and tender mercies for you and yours!

In honor of Luke’s recent decision to make Jesus Christ his personal Lord and Savior we leave you with this…

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4

Wishing a Merry Christmas and much love from our family to yours,
Wesley, Jennifer, Luke 5 yrs, Grace 4 yrs, Mary Ruth 3 yrs, and Bella Peace 7 mos







For more Minor family pictures and stories visit our blog entitled “Our Cup Runneth Over” at: https://wesleyandjenniferminor.blogspot.com