October 16, 2011

Hi Everyone,

It has literally been months since I last sat down to write a newsletter. So much has happened in such a short time.

As we all know, there are different seasons in each of our lives and this year has been no exception for us. Two weddings in less than six months in our house (both Brooklyn and Courtney), six different bridal showers, a college graduation for Brooklyn, a host of touring dates, a brain surgery for Phil Sr, and the list goes on. Through it all, we are still sane, in our right minds (that may be up for debate), and believe it or not, really enjoying this phase of our lives. God has once again been faithful and walked us through the unknown. We have been in safe hands!

As if the above were not enough, we were on a deadline with our record company for the release of our new CD project. We hit the studio mid-May and the new release, Part of the Family, is finally here. For more information you can go to www.thecollingsworthfamily.com or call the office at 513-553-0658 and Danette, our office manager, would be happy to assist you. The Christmas catalogs will be mailed in two weeks which means the office work will escalate extensively. If you’re ordering for Christmas, you may want to get your order in early to ensure it will arrive on time.

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who prayed for my husband, Phil. Many of you sent emails, Facebook messages, and cards and I can't thank you enough. I would love to have been able to respond to every single one of them, but it just wasn't possible. I would come home from the hospital feeling somewhat lonely and find your messages in my inbox. I read every one of them! It was so encouraging to know that our friends cared enough to pray and contact us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It meant more than words can express. Phil is doing very well, and is near back to normal. All praise to our awesome God and a special thanks to Dr. Tew, Phil's nurosurgeon!

The whole family ................ backstage @ NQC

As I mentioned earlier, both Brooklyn and Courtney are now married. They are doing well and enjoying this new season of their lives. It’s so neat to watch them from a different angle now. I get the domestic phone calls frequently and they’re usually asking me how to cook this or that. It makes my “mama” heart proud to watch them. Both girls are still touring with us along with their husbands. We are enjoying having the two extra men on the bus. More man power means more help lifting the heavy equipment and that’s a good thing!

Phillip Jr. and Olivia are doing well. Phillip is a senior in high school this year and Olivia is in the eighth grade. Time is moving on.

Olivia personally made us a cake .............. for a surprise party Brooklyn hosted for us !!

As you can tell from the above news, there have been a lot of ‘happenings’ in our lives this year. While some of these have just been the normal ‘seasons’ of life, nevertheless, it has caused me to step back and take a more serious look at the landscape around me. Phil and I celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary last month and I found myself saying, “How did we get here so fast?” As I’ve looked back, this is the conclusion that I’ve come to:

Life is short…. don’t miss a moment of it! We talk about passing the time, killing time, or just getting through the week, forgetting that we’re wishing away the very moments that comprise our lives! We’ve all heard the saying “Time is money” when in fact, the time we have is ALL we have. Money can be borrowed, TIME can’t!

Life it short….. Take that vacation with your family that you’ve been planning for a long time. You can find someone to feed the cat! It doesn’t have to be an expensive trip. It’s the time together that really matters!

Life is short…. Don’t worry about the trivial and neglect the most precious thing we have, moments that will never pass our way again! My mom used to say to me often, “Kim, don’t sweat the small stuff!” That’s great advice!

Life is short….Love unconditionally!

Life is short…. Don’t waste it on holding grudges or being offended because someone said this or did that! (That’s small stuff!!!!) Love them anyway and move on!

Life is short …. Love God, your spouse, and your family with everything you’ve got and say, “I love you” on a daily basis!

Life is short….. Don’t take yourself too seriously……. take God very serious, everything else will take care of itself!

One more thing I didn’t write, I just found.…

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

Now all has been heard, here is the conclusion of the matter.
Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

That pretty much sums it up.

I love you all!

Kim