It’s 10:08 pm on this last day of 2019 as I’m sitting down to begin writing this post. The kids have decided that this is the year they’re going to stay up until midnight, and we’ve exhausted all of the games we got for Christmas working to stay awake a bit longer. An episode of The Mandalorian is now capturing the attention of the crew, so I’ve slipped off to the couch to try and write a few words as this year draws to a close.
This note was originally going to accompany a (yet unmade) Christmas card. Somewhere around December 20, I decided our Christmas cards might be more like New Year cards this year. That didn’t quite happen either, which is maybe the best overall description to capture 2019. We have had great intentions, not quite enough time, and often fallen short of our goals to get things done. But we’re here – laughing and loving and walking together.
Looking back over the past twelve months brings a quick breath filled with emotion and wonder, as our lives today are quite different than they were on January 1, 2019.
In a March whirlwind, Jerry began the interview process with the pastor search team at Congaree Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC. On March 31, an affirmative church vote brought us officially to the church, and he began work as pastor immediately. A few short weeks later, we started the process to list and sell our house and accidentally sold it by owner on Facebook before that happened. At the end of May, we moved to Pine Ridge and into the church parsonage. We have fallen in love with the people of this church and community as we are learning to serve in a new way here in 29172.
Jerry has settled into his role as a pastor with the grace and conviction he brings to everything he does. He is teaching three times a week, so much of his time is devoted to study and preparation. When he’s not in the office, you can often find him at local hospitals or in the homes of church members, visiting and walking alongside those who need his warm smile or grace-filled words of comfort. Occasionally, you can find him on the golf course or running through town, although the hours away are few right now as he finds rhythm in new routines and responsibilities. As a result of some serious pleading from the kids, he auditioned for The Wizard of Oz at our community theater this spring and was cast as the Tin Man. It was a wild ride, as the show overlapped our start at Congaree, but it was an amazing experience for the kids to be in a show with their dad.
In September, we’d planned our annual half-birthday trip with a surprise for the kids – Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and a few days at Hogwarts at Universal Studios in Orlando. However, Hurricane Dorian held a surprise for us instead. After several sleepless nights of hurricane tracking, we found flights to California and moved our trip out west to Disneyland. It was nothing short of divine how the details fell into place, and we all four enjoyed our first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. It was a really sweet time away from us after a season of such deep change.
While it seems impossible, Maddie is now at the halfway mark of her last year in elementary school. She continues to thrive in school as she soaks in every opportunity to learn and grow, in English and in Mandarin. She finished reading the Harry Potter series this spring and read the Hunger Games trilogy this fall, among several other new favorites. When she’s not at school (and often when she is), you can often find her singing or acting somewhere. She has found a love for choral music this year, singing with her school chorus, district honor choir and church choir. She also started riding horses with my aunt this year and greatly enjoys her time at the farm. Maddie is a passionate defender of what she believes is right – from tracking current events to research on the importance of more time outside at school to outlining a service project in response to a book she read, she is constantly seeking ways to make an imprint on the world around her. She’s a world-changer, and we couldn’t be more proud of the work she’s done this year to embrace her place in her story.
2019 has been a big year for Hudson. He graduated from OT, which was bittersweet for all of us. Hudson’s occupational therapist was an absolute gift to our family. Through his time with her, Hudson learned to recognize and respond to many of the sensory triggers that lead to anxiety and frustration. By working hard with her for several years, he is able to function comfortably in many environments that were overwhelming and incredibly intense before. He was also released from his counselor, who was another precious gift to Hudson and our family. She helped him work through some very intense anxiety, particularly surrounding nighttime, which brought the gift of deep sleep and true rest. We are super-proud of Hudson for reaching these milestones, and most importantly, he is really proud of himself. (In fact, he helped write this part of his story for you.) He picked up gymnastics to add some of the vestibular input that keeps us in sensory equilibrium. He has quickly fallen in love with this sport that encourages him to jump, hang and flip — all things he craves and enjoys. He is also doing well in school, building confidence in English and in Mandarin, and particularly loving any opportunity to write. His room is filled with stories that he is writing on his quest to become an author. When he’s not at school, you can find him (if you’re quick – he doesn’t stay in one place long!) on the basketball court, hanging from the door frames or singing and acting, too. He has enjoyed several great opportunities to sing this fall, and truly loves being on stage.
As for me, I’m continuing to find my place in the world of Human Resources. I am surrounded by an amazing team and really precious friends, and I count my blessings on a regular basis that I am able to do work that I love surrounded by people I love. After taking a break while our family was in a deep season of transition in 2018, I am volunteering again as a Guardian ad litem for children in our community who are in foster care or whose families are being supported by DSS. I’m also really enjoying the chance to teach with Jerry again on Wednesday nights, something we dearly love and haven’t been able to do in quite awhile. We have a little music corner in the parsonage, so I’ve even been able to find a few minutes here and there at the piano again, which has been therapeutic and a blessing.
Life is, as always, full. The oven isn’t on as often as it should be, and the house is a mess more often than not. But at the end of the day, that isn’t what’s most important, anyway.
So as we lean into this new decade, the Freemans are ready. Ready for more love and laughter, and even ready for some tears that will surely come. Who knows? Maybe we’re even ready for Christmas cards to come actually before Christmas 2020. Maybe.
lessons in lingering 