Personal Reflections of 2016
A 5ive Conversation of 2016’s blessings and heavy heartedness
Matthew: Guys… 2016. What a shitty year. Personally, it was a great year for me. Married my wonderful wife, landed an awesome new job, and had the opportunity to speak on Kendrick Lamar at a conference. But when I think of 2016 I can’t help but have a heavy heart.
Jeremy: Same. Some very good things happened to us, but those brought challenges as well. We bought a beautiful new house in a new area, and we love it. But the process of moving, and the fact that we have moved away from where we spent the last 9 years, and where all of my kids were either born or spent some formative years, has been stressful. But the external events going on have also really worn on me. I’ve been going through a spiritual metamorphosis the past few years and it really came to a head with all the political events happening.
Matthew: Yes and that is where my heart is heavy. Seeing the utter brokenness of this world with so much death, destruction and lack of care for our neighbors.
Jackie: My year was simultaneously shit and blessings. We had to move out of a home we loved in an area we loved, but we moved closer to the Linders. The 5ive + Blake were all in the same room at one point this year and we didn’t get a picture of us all together, but I did manage one with Blake, Jeremy and 5ive guest, Zach. I experienced my worst depression and a week long dance with mania, but I found a good counselor, psychiatrist and the right meds. We mourned the death of a child and a mother, but they’re victory is with Jesus and the fruits of their spirit lives within the relationships they had in this life. The homeschooling year has been REALLY DIFFICULT, K but we went to Six Flags and it was the most fun we’d had as a family in a very long time. And in between all of that, my processing of current events was painful and arduous.
