I love a new year. A mental list of projects begins to bubble, just like yeast and warm water happily work together. I get excited about tossing out the accumulation of "stuff" in closets, in the garage--everywhere. The seed catalogs begin to arrive and gardening plans bloom exponentially. Everything seems possible in the new year moment. My husband gets that "deer in the headlights" look as I attempt to include him in all of the reorganization and project lists.
Then there are those fresh blank calendars to write in birthdays and anniversaries, holidays, and meetings for work. (The fresh inky paper even smells good.) I'll bet there are quite a few of you that enjoy the calendar thing. Those nice little squares begin to fill with activities that are planned, orderly, and mostly happy. In my very Type "A" way, I write them onto the paper, enter them into my electronic calendar, and set reminders to pop up at the right time on the computer screen. There's a certain element of control that makes one feel safe that life is so easily scheduled. It's like coloring in the lines. The picture will be beautiful if the color stays within the lines, right?
But, the turn of the clock to January 1 begs reflection on the old year. Although all the birthdays, vacations, and holidays were filled in so neatly, life isn't exactly played out within the confines of little white squares, no matter how much I wish it were sometimes. The old year now left behind was full of uncertainty, surgeries, a wildfire, an evacuation, a change of jobs, and a change of churches. There were also three great vacations; one a cruise that celebrated a milestone anniversary, two others that included family reunions. There were hikes in the mountains, dinners with friends, and lazy afternoons on the patio. Much of my calendar for 2011 is scratched over, added to, and filled with things that were not anticipated, and some were quite unwanted. Life is definitely messy.
Chapter four of Paul's letter to the Philippian church sums up many of the lessons learned and yes, that I'm still learning. Here they are: trust God for everything, cherish your friendships, forgive, be joyful, be content, keep your mind on the truth, and don't give up. Unfortunately none of these can be learned without some trials and difficulties.
So pull out your calendars and get your pencils ready. It's a new year with unknown challenges and unexpected blessings ahead, but that's the great thing about it. What will our calendars tell about 2012 next December? I can hardly wait to see.
Blessings in this New Year to you and yours.
Then there are those fresh blank calendars to write in birthdays and anniversaries, holidays, and meetings for work. (The fresh inky paper even smells good.) I'll bet there are quite a few of you that enjoy the calendar thing. Those nice little squares begin to fill with activities that are planned, orderly, and mostly happy. In my very Type "A" way, I write them onto the paper, enter them into my electronic calendar, and set reminders to pop up at the right time on the computer screen. There's a certain element of control that makes one feel safe that life is so easily scheduled. It's like coloring in the lines. The picture will be beautiful if the color stays within the lines, right?
But, the turn of the clock to January 1 begs reflection on the old year. Although all the birthdays, vacations, and holidays were filled in so neatly, life isn't exactly played out within the confines of little white squares, no matter how much I wish it were sometimes. The old year now left behind was full of uncertainty, surgeries, a wildfire, an evacuation, a change of jobs, and a change of churches. There were also three great vacations; one a cruise that celebrated a milestone anniversary, two others that included family reunions. There were hikes in the mountains, dinners with friends, and lazy afternoons on the patio. Much of my calendar for 2011 is scratched over, added to, and filled with things that were not anticipated, and some were quite unwanted. Life is definitely messy.
Chapter four of Paul's letter to the Philippian church sums up many of the lessons learned and yes, that I'm still learning. Here they are: trust God for everything, cherish your friendships, forgive, be joyful, be content, keep your mind on the truth, and don't give up. Unfortunately none of these can be learned without some trials and difficulties.
So pull out your calendars and get your pencils ready. It's a new year with unknown challenges and unexpected blessings ahead, but that's the great thing about it. What will our calendars tell about 2012 next December? I can hardly wait to see.
Blessings in this New Year to you and yours.
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