Favorite Photos of 2022

The eleventh day of each month is Abigail’s special day. 

I really enjoy one-on-one time with her during our monthly Daddy / Daughter Dates. For whatever reason, she is a rather quiet, private person at home. She tends to keep the majority of her thoughts to herself. But when I get a chance to take her out all by herself, she often opens up to reveal the wonderful, witty, thoughtful, loving young lady that she is.

There is no doubt in my mind that whatever she decides to do with her life, she is going to be incredibly successful. She has a laser-like ability to focus on a task and bring it to completion at a quality that is far above anything I anticipated (we won’t talk about the mess she tends to leave behind, nor whether or not that was the task she was supposed to be focused on). It used to surprise me, but now when I walk into the living room and see the sewing machine out with random patterns, fabric, and thread scattered all about; or when I walk into the kitchen and see bowls upon bowls and nearly every kitchen appliance in use; or when I see some large, unexplainable ball of yarn with a crotchet hook hanging out of it, I just think to myself, Abigail must be up to something great.

Abigail has a midsummer birthday, and we are a family that does a lot of traveling over the summer, so she has spent several birthdays on a mission trip or at a Christian camp. One of her favorite places to be is Little Eden Christian Camp in Onekama, MI. This photo was taken while we were at Little Eden as a family (I was speaking, and the kids were helping me lead worship). 

I love this photo because it reveals the fun, tender side of our second-born daughter. Jodi and I often joke to ourselves that a hug from Abigail is like a rare gem. You don’t get a lot of them, but they sure are precious.

The wind was blowing pretty hard as we made our way to the lookout on Lake Michigan. This is not a perfect picture. Jodi and Abigail have hair blowing in the wind and across their face. They may not be perfectly posed, but they are together.

This photo reminds me of life. Life doesn’t have to be perfect. The wind will come and mess things up… but just keep making your way towards your destination. Do it with with people who love you. And don’t be afraid to stop and hug along the way.