It's strange how things work out...

I'm still experiencing the after-glow of a great Christmas. On Christmas day itself we had all our three children with us, two of them with their marriage partners. We attended Christmas Day service at church, which was fairly informal and a great way to begin the celebrations of Jesus' birth.

We opened some presents before church, the rest when we returned, as we waited for Christmas dinner. I had some excellent presents this year (including two sonic screwdrivers!) After dinner we played games and had many laughs together. A lovely family day.

On the Wednesday after Christmas we hosted the annual family party, when we welcomed around 25 members of our wider family. Although the day was hectic and noisy, it was another much enjoyed occasion.

The only sour note from the holiday period came when Caz, our elder daughter, received a phone call from her landlady in Llanelli to say that there had been a pipe burst in the loft of her house which had cased major damage. Naturally this was very upsetting for Caz, especially as her house contents were not insured! It was clear that the damage to the house would make it impossible for Caz to continue to live there. As a consequence, she had to cut short her stay with us and travel back to Llanelli, accompanied by Sue (mother-comfort is a great thing in hard times!)

To cut a long story short, within the space of just a few days they managed, along with help from church friends, to clear Caz's belongings out of the house (they were stored temporarily at church), find a new (and better) house, buy some new items for the house, and get Caz moved in before she was due back at school (where she teaches) today!

Compared with the disaster which this episode could have turned into, something of a miracle has taken place. Caz is so delighted with how things have worked out. I can't help thinking of a verse in St Paul's letter to the church in Rome, where he writes, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom. 8:28). As we approach a new year, with all its apparent uncertainties, how fantastic to know that if we put our trust in God, he can weave even the toughest of situations into something good.