Welcome 2024...the journey has begun again

Happy New Year!

A new week, a new month and a new year…and yes, I know. Sunday is technically the first day of the week but we all know Monday holds that spot mentally.

We ended 2023 on such a fun number…123123. What’s not to love about that?

For me the first day of a new year is a working holiday and I love it. Unless it falls on a Sunday, New Year’s Day is like a full reset on my energy level. The washer is humming, expired food is getting pitched. Shelves are getting a little dusting as I put things away and I am filled with hope and aspirations for the year ahead.

With the exception of a few favorite mugs, anything that passes for “winter decor” and the nativities, I am happily beginning the migration of Christmas 2023 to the basement. Normally I am dragging my feet, but this year I am ready to move it along.

So I wanted to share some random thoughts as we wave over our shoulders at the year gone by and look ahead to any plans on our part to make it a productive year of growth. As always, five is a good number for randoms…so here we go:

Random #1

Yesterday in church we sang one of my favorite current “hymns”. It is All of My Life you have been Faithful”. You can listen here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvkpeJ-Xd1U

As we sang it, I felt again deeply what I have felt all this year when we sing it.

This year I have felt my age for the first time in ways that have cut hard. Just being real, but signing up for Medicare and the way this changes how I have experienced a new kind of tone to how I am treated when visiting a doctor has been a stark reminder of a life truth. I am on the downward side of this ride.

Mandatory questions involving the wisdom of having throw rugs in our house and how much movement do I get in a day and if I am eating well are required by the government, I guess. And I dutifully answer feeling as if I am a stone’s throw away from needing in home care.

But when I sing that song at church, I see my life from the correct perspective. The worship leaders on the stage range from a high school girl to a man five years my senior. We are all singing about how up this point, we have experienced the goodness of God. What a testimony to say this has been the case for 65 years. My years are a gift and I am thankful.

My age matters much to those coming behind me. When I declare that I will sing of his goodness with every breath I am able to give, I am affirming my assurance that how every far down the road I have yet to go, I will be able to say He is faithful.

And He is.

In every season, He is faithful. He is good. He is kind.

For now, I plan to keep the throw rugs and yes, I eat well and exercise daily. And I will sing of the goodness of God.

Random #2

A fun part of this Christmas was hearing stories from Rachel about the gift giving among their children. There were shopping trips for individuals to pick out gifts for family and it was fun to see how excited they were to give rather than receive.

I remember this rite of passage in our own children and how the joy of gifting began to exceed the joy of receiving. Russ and I received some thoughtful things that were selected with us in mind and such a treasure.

Growth of the heart happened and we are so very thankful.

Random #3

One of the recurring lessons I had to learn in 2023 was to remember that I must become less so He can become more.

It was a bit painful at times.

Refining usually is.

I was given multiple opportunities to step back and not be important or favored or included.

It hurt every time.

And every time was a reminder that the world does not revolve around me.

I have a role and my role matters, but it is simply one thread woven delicately amongst a myriad of other threads that make up the section of a very large tapestry that extends across the eons.

Sometimes I get confused and think that someone else’s thread is more important. It is not. It is all of us, as we live and breathe and interact under the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit that make up God’s story of His people.

Random #4

One of my takeaways from 2023 that I plan to continue is beginning each new week by recording some of the “wins”.

On Sunday nights, I write out the week calendar and make lists of things that need to get done. At some point in the year, I began by first looking back over the past week page and jotting down things that went well or brought joy or promoted growth.

I highly recommend this practice if starting a week is daunting to you. Or even if it isn’t.

Random #5

This morning I started my morning with my commitment to a new 2024 devotional plan:

<3 Prayer journal – I pulled out one I have used in the past and began jotting down a few people who came to mind that I want to pray for outside of daily prayer for our family

<3 New devotional from my dear friend Lisa on Peace

<3 Bible read through using The One Year Chronological Bible Study NLT gifted to us from our dear Randy and Sonja

I wrote some goals in my journal that include the following (please hold me accountable):

I want to be more intentional in reading, prayer and application
Scripture – to begin to speak God’s word over, and in place of, my anxious or negative thoughts
Pray with power and faith
Recap/revisit sermon notes on Sunday or Monday each week
Follow rabbit trails again

That last one…is what I used to do when I would be preparing to teach our adult class. I miss it. My soul is less for the lack of it.

I hope you are making some strategic plans to move into a position where you grow in wisdom, knowledge, love and compassion this year.

God bless you all <3

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