Another Trip Around The Sun!

Each year as the calendar encourages us to welcome a new year, my household reflects on the ending year with what we’ve saved in a jar. As I prepare myself to add another year to my age, I’m doing something similar by reflecting on the last year of my life.

This is how it started-

It included officiating a dear friend’s wedding, seeing my college roommate, planned and unplanned road trips, and funerals for people I love. I visited new states, ate delicious food, celebrated birthdays of loved ones, went to the beach, spent holidays with family, and fulfilled this lifelong dream.

This year was both heartbreaking and amazingly awesome. Some moments made me laugh until I cried and other left me crying until it felt like I had no more tears. Many days were just ordinary, regular days when I did my job to the best of my abilities. I cannot remember all the meals I ate and am thankful for my amazing husband who cooked so many of those meals.

So as it is now my birthday, what am I hoping for this year? I’d appreciate a little less sadness and more joy. If that can’t happen, I’d like to remember to look for the joy even amidst the sadness. I’d like more time with people I love. If that can’t happen, I’d like to be fully present for the time I do have with the people I love. They deserve my attention. I’d like less hurrying and rushing around which might be achieved by me saying no a little more often and leaving earlier than I think I should (this one might be one I can work on myself). I’d like to look back a year from now and say all in all it was a good year.

Loving God, You hear our hopes and our heartache. You see our dreams and our reality. You know our thoughts and our actions. You guide us and only ask that we follow you. So that is what we’ll do. We will follow you through the next year not knowing where we are going or how we will get there. We look forward to the journey and know that all will be well. Amen.