The Miracles That Save Us

 Happy Holidays from the Laniels!

This little blog started with the premise that miracles can be found in the most mundane of spaces in our lives. It’s the little moments that shift our perspective and shape our worldview so we’re kinder, happier, and able to extend grace to those around us. The thing about miracles is that they can’t always be explained. They show up and give us hope when we least expect them. 

The Laniels had miracles show up when we least expect them and we’re so very grateful.

Brian spent half of 2021 unemployed and searching for the right fit for his skill set and a job that would give him joy. The miracle of the perfect job showed up in July. His former company, Marsh, where he worked for 17 years, rehired him into a new position that is challenging and exciting. He’s thriving in learning new things, meeting new people, and working remotely so the kids aren’t lonely. (Brian is EXTREMELY patient with these VERY NEEDY animals…what a saint!)

He turns 50 in May, so hopefully, we’ll celebrate in style! 

Brian's daily view

My miracles have shown up in the form of 11-year-old kids who surprise me every day. Teaching 6th grade was not on the bucket list, but it has turned out to be an incredible experience of embracing all sorts of different learners and super random stories about super random things. These kids have truly saved my life. Starting at a new school, teaching a new grade, figuring out new systems of being a part of a school community and so much more have challenged me in ways that caused me to question everything. But these amazing little miracles have shown me how to slow down, breathe, listen, embrace challenges, and hope. (Here is some background to this!)

This note from a student killed me!

I once again (14th time!)  read the holiday story, “The Lump of Coal” by Lemony Snicket to my students. It is about finding unexpected miracles during this holiday season. It says:

"It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season--like all the other seasons--is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them." 

As I sort through all that this year has brought us and what is yet to come and I am overwhelmingly grateful for all the miracles that have shown up. 

YOU are one of our miracles this year and we are so very grateful.

Cheers to you all! 

This is your 2018 holiday card! Cheers!

Happy Holidays!

The Laniel family embraced places of Light and Hope this year and we are so grateful for you to share in a few of these through this little holiday card blog post. 

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The Light

To me, Light is the unexplainable miracles that show us that life is bigger than what we see. It is the moments of joy that seem disguised at first. Light is that knowing that we are not alone and that
 life is good. 

Your kids are Light to us. It is becoming redundant, I know, but we sure love all the kids in our lives. Choosing not to have kids does not mean that we don't love kids. We do. Very much! And we are so grateful for the ways that our friends and families invite us into their lives so we can be Aunt Kari and Uncle Brian. We cherish these moments so very much and our lives are richer because of it! 

{New Year's resolution: Get more pictures of all the kids in our lives!}

The CABIN! will always be a place of Light for us. We are grateful for the many memories that get created there year after year. 

We celebrated 10 years of marriage this year--whoop! We didn't do too much outside of eating at a delicious restaurant in our neighborhood, but we did upgrade my wedding band! It's a family "tradition" to upgrade rings on the 10-year marker of marriage...
I'm not going to say no to tradition, right?

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The Hope

To me, Hope is tangible optimism. We look for something good--usually in a difficult situation--and when we experience it, we know it's Hope.

Our family experienced the loss of some very special and important people. Two of my cousins died in June and our family is devasted. Both of them embodied the idea of loyalty and they displayed a sense of generosity that truly can't be captured in words. Because of these incredible souls, I have found myself offering a helping hand where I can and doing it without the pretense of needing something in return. This is how they both lived their lives and it helps me see Hope.

We felt hopeless when we knew we had to say goodbye to our dear family member, Birney. We are truly heartbroken. This loss feels oceanic. We talk about him every day because there are a million little things to be remembered.

We are all trying to live in this "new normal" of life without Birney. We have tried to help Baxter cope by having him see Grandpa and Grandma a bit more--he loves that!

We know that our family will never quite be the same but we also know that Birney will continue to save us--always. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many people during this sad time. It has reached the depths of our souls and to us, this is Hope.
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We see Light and Hope in the little things that make us happy. Things like Trader Joe's or sparkly iPhone cases. We see it in those days that we really like our jobs and know we are being our best selves. We see it in our friendships with you and we know that this brings us strength. 

We hope that 2018 had places of Light and Hope you can reflect on and that 2019 is one of your best years yet! Cheers!