As we near the end of 2018, I wanted to send you each love and gratefulness for sharing your light and kindness with us throughout this year. I also can’t help but reflect upon the last 12 months and to be honest sometimes it felt as though the valleys were deeper than the mountains were tall.
Perhaps some of you can relate?
For me, this year has been challenging, filled with personal heartache and loss as well as truly traumatic events in our community. Losing my brother this fall broke my heart, and I still feel waves of grief wash over me even as I write. Then several weeks ago, we got an urgent call to evacuate our home due to rapidly approaching, out-of-control wildfires.
After weeks of evacuation, uncertainty and anxiety, we are finally back in our home. We are more fortunate than many families here in our hometown of Malibu as at least we have a home to return to. For this, we are truly grateful and holding tight to God’s unwavering goodness, even though the grief feels too great at times. And as I turn my mind to preparation for the holiday season, it feels strangely bittersweet and out of place given all that has happened this year for me, my family and so many others. {eoa}
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Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett