2011- A Year of Blessed

I have a stack of unwritten-upon Christmas cards coupled with equally blank mailing envelopes.  I may or may not ever get them sent this year.  Instead I offer you our New Year's family newsletter (via photos).  This exercise of looking backward in preparation for looking forward never fails to humble me, fill me with hope and a sense of counting the cost for new days, dreams and sacrifices ahead.

Glory be to Father, Son and Spirit for all.  

From our family to yours, a holler of thanksgiving for 2011 and a whisper of hope for 2012.

Comfort & Joy,

Tamara (for all)

Music & photo credits: Words to Build A Life On by Mike Crawford and His Secret Siblings (I blogged about this song here). *note: I accidentally uploaded three songs for this smilebox before I made my final decision.  If you just can't get enough of our family slideshow you'll hear two more songs:  Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Hunting Song by Where's Ulysses.(I blogged about this album here.) Also, so many of the photos I chose were shared with us by friends and family.  Two of the photos came from strangers and I want to include credit.  Unfortunately,  I've lost track of the news media site that provided the photo of President Obama greeting the House pages at last year's State of the Union address; please forgive me unknown photographer!  The photo of the wooden figure of Christ carrying his cross comes from Ann Voskamp's site.  (I've blogged about the Cradle to Cross wreath we've purchased from her family here.)