Next Year's Words

With each passing year I love the season of winter more and more. After giving this much thought, I've realized that I find comfort in the gaping bareness of the trees, as they twist and stretch themselves in bleak, cold skies. Rather than causing me to feel lonely or depressed, a briskly cold winter day, filled with misty grayness, clears my mind in a way that nothing else can do. Therefore, I have come to appreciate, and anticipate, this resting dormancy the earth goes through with a quiet gratitude. 

The wide-open spaces of the world around me work synergistically with the gradual decline of days, and I breathe deeply in preparation for the coming year. I enjoy reflecting on the many changes a single twelve-month span has brought into my life. Really it can be quite amazing from one year to the next just how many things, big and small, can change. One of my favorite treasures is always the people God brings into my life. Each individual is a shiny new gift. They add another layer of richness, along with those I have cherished and held in my heart for so long. The mingling of the old with the new is an exquisite thing; in it we are shown there is always more to come.

That's what I love so much about the first day of a new year, it holds out its hand, inviting us to step into 365 days of an unknown future. Some of those days will be challenging, some may be sad, and others could be complicated in ways we won't understand. However, so much of life is what we make it and the bulk of those days can be happy, joyous and extremely fulfilling. The decision lies within us. We must open ourselves to every opportunity of making the air around us alive with love, kindness and compassion for all who come in contact with us. Not only will there be a tangible difference in the atmosphere and the lives we encounter, but our own hearts will benefit greatly. 

If we want to shake off the old year and start afresh, we need to love with a love that knows no bounds. Selfless love always lifts up, supports and believes the best of and for the recipient. Over the last few weeks I've begun to dream occasionally that I am flying. Each dream is somewhat different, as I'm not always in the same place when I suddenly feel myself begin to rise up and float, gently at first. Then, as I begin to fly somewhat faster, the joy I feel is indescribable; it's like nothing I've ever known. A few nights ago Scott appeared in the dream for the first time. I was overjoyed that he finally caught me flying! I looked down and called out to him, "Scott! Look! I'm flying!!!" My dream self was expecting a huge reaction, possibly one of incredulity or fear. Instead my husband looked up at me and said, in his casual way, "I always knew you could fly."

 I hope that 2020 will be the year that finds you loving more deeply, reaching higher for your dreams and resting in personal contentment. I pray you know the love of God in your life and are able to see your fellowman through His eyes. I trust that you'll gain strength to endure the hardships, as you focus on the abundance of blessings in a single day. May it be the year that finds you flying because somebody, even if that somebody is yourself, always knew you could.

From my heart to yours...

I wish you a very

 Happy New Year.

"For last years words belong to last years language

and next year's words await another voice."

T.S. Elliot