Tag Archives: New Year

365 Days…

Some days can seem so very long, the click of the passing minutes echoing like a time bomb. On those days I think, “I just want this day done”! Other times, the moments slip through my grasp like tiny grains of sand. I want those moments back, but they are gone forever. 2018 will be complete in just a few short hours. As I think back over the months that created the year 2018, I smile and I cry. There were wonderful times and hard times. Nothing special and everything special, because isn’t that just life? Filled full of both good and bad. And yet, moments that instantly turned to memories, and I don’t want to forget.

On this New Year’s Eve I don’t want to write about parties or plans.

I just want to reach out and touch your hand.

I don’t want to worry about pain or age.

I am just happy to turn the next page.

As this year comes to an end, I want to think about how words can mend…

How love can heal, how God is good, knowing what is real, and doing what I could.

I want to consider what I can do to make 2019 better for you.

Word Up!

Today, over at Faith Barista we are posting our personal word for 2014. What is the one word that has significance for this year? For me? What word sums up what I am striving for in 2014, just as this year begins to unfold? To be honest, I could spend days mulling this over, as I am wont to do. I’ve decided to not do that this time. I’m picking a word that I’ve been thinking about already, regardless of the new year. That word is……

RELATIONSHIP

Last night I was reading and came across this quote from John Milton… “Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named not good.”   Genesis 2:18  The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.I will make a helper suitable for him.”

 

couple-kissing-on-beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the very beginning we were created for relationship.

Then this morning I read my Jesus Calling devotion by Sarah Young. “I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU.”  God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 

God is here. He always has my best interest at heart. His love is all encompassing. My creator wants relationship with me. To Him, I matter.

I can rest in Him.

 

102_3508

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.faithbarista.com/join-faith-barista-jam-thursdays/

Opening Up A New Year

I wrote this post a few years ago, but it truly does sum up how I feel about the new year……

One of my favorite quotes, from one of my favorite books….

“I don’t really want more time;

I just want enough time.

Time to breathe deep & time to see real & time to laugh long, time to give You glory & rest deep & sing joy…

I just want time to do my one life well.           —-Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

What better goal could I have for this new year, all fresh and open to possibility?

I long to live my one life well.

Yes, that is it.

As this day unwraps a new year, may you become more aware of God’s miraculous, redemptive, love-filled…

amazing grace.

**********************************************

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  John 17:3 NIV

The List Goes On……..

The morning sunlight streams golden across the deck planking.

Dark morning clouds move slowly, leftover from the night sky.102_2365

Geese honk a noisy hello as they gather at the pond.

I take in the panorama of the new day.

Three months ago I was welcoming in the new year. Winter, cold and barren.

Three months from now I will be sweltering in the heat of a mid summer day.

The days, they blur together. Time blurs.

Moments like vibrant digital displays, whirl past me. Memories, painted colorful and real.

These days, they leave me longing for more.

More time. More moments.

More joy.

******************************************************************

Today I am thankful for:

* sun splashes on the deck

* well worn path to the barn

* chirping chicks

* soft dog fur

* sweet tea in a purple glass

* school work completed, early!

* looking forward to the trip to Costa Rica

* a good hair day:)

* a shoulder massage from my daughter

* taking time to watch Psych with the kids

* safe travels

* pictures of sunflowers

* smiles

*anticipation of new life

* my Redeemer lives!






Related articles

The New Year

A school bus photographed in New York, New Yor...

I feel like I am on the cusp of something.

Maybe it is because it is “that time of year”.

As a teacher, August/September always seems like New Years to me….more so than January.

School supplies, and school buses, homework and soccer games.

The beginning of school is the beginning of a new year.

This is the time that I check and double check my appointment book, begin juggling my schedule, and start to look for those first signs of Fall.
It is a good time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

The Dawn Of A New Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Dawn.

A short name, only four letters.

Dawn was a popular name in the 60’s and 70’s.

The name means: sunrise, daybreak.

Maybe that is why I am so taken with the morning sky…

when the sun turns the darkness into beautiful streaks of pink and purple.

I quietly watch in anticipation as

a new beginning erupts across the horizon.

A chance to start anew.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:8  NIV

 

Related articles

Ready To Begin

New year light

Yesterday was the long drive back home. My family and I spent this past week visiting with relatives that live in another state. It was heartwarming, fun, and memories were made. Today will be the business of getting back into a routine, unpacking a weeks worth of clothes and starting laundry. I’ve already begun to think about this coming weekend and the beginning of a new year. These few days of the old, always seems to hold such promise. What will the new year bring? Excitement? Personal gain? Love?  New friendships? Sadness? Tragedy? One just never knows. For me, the new year always holds excitement mixed with a little apprehension. It’s the not knowing that makes me pause.

I’m not much into New Years resolutions. I think they cause too much pressure. I’m the type to write goals out on a daily and weekly basis anyway.

I don’t require a big hooplah over resolutions. More than that, I think back on the year. What has happened? How did I react? Am I happy with the part I played in 2011? Would I like to make some changes? What worked and more importantly what didn’t?

This year I’ve learned the art of being thankful. I’m still learning…and, I suppose I will continue to learn the lessons of thankfulness until I take my last breath on this side of Heaven. One would think being thankful would be easier considering how much there is to be thankful for. Why is it that most of the time we see the holes in our lives, the less than, the lacking, the unfortunate….and we concentrate on those things? Why not focus on all that is good in life? Really, there is so very much. Thankfulness continues to be my goal as I begin a new year…not as a resolution that will fade from existence by the first of February…but, a resolve to see all the ways that I am blessed.

********************************************

Related articles

Learning To Simplify

Hilly landscape in Val d'Orcia.

Image via Wikipedia

It started this morning. I’ve got things on my mind. Schedules. Dates. Things coming up. Holiday events. Planning. I have much to do before the end of the year. It occurred to me this morning that it’s already NOVEMBER 2nd! Two months from now we will already be into the new year. Good grief! Where does the time go? What moments have I let slip by because I’m always thinking about tomorrow. Or next week. Or next month. Or a year from now…

Breathe.

Sigh.

It’s happening again. I feel like a freight train that is out of control, barreling down the tracks, heading for an unknown destination….one bump and I’ll be derailed.

Breathe again.

Another sigh.

I was looking through a favorite house site, and noticed a clip from the movie, Under The Tuscan Sun. Regardless of how one feels about this movie, it does give a good example of a woman who was looking for something different for her life. She left the States, and while vacationing in Italy, bought and restored a rundown house in Tuscany. She found friendship, laughter, and meaning for her life, in the midst of it all. Her life became much more simple.

After seeing that clip, I took a few minutes to dig through my old journals until I found the one that I was looking for. A small black book, with a simple title. “SIMPLIFY”.  I think that says it all. I looked back through it to see what I had written. It was sort of a workbook of how to simplify. I smiled at some of the things I had written, and shook my head at others. Simplifying is a process…and, I am not there just yet.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life.” —Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Earlier this year, I read Ann Voskamp’s, One Thousand Gifts. She talks a lot about slowing down, savoring each moment, and giving thanks. I truly enjoyed her book. It has been a “life changer” for me, not because I have it all down perfectly, but because that is something that I long for. It helps to know that there are other people out there that feel the same way.

The Lord tells me in His word not to worry.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:34  NIV

I will be completely honest and tell you that I struggle with that verse. I know that God loves me more than the birds of the air, and the flowers of the fields, but when I’m facing decisions and feeling pressed for time, it’s easier to worry. Not that it does one bit of good, mind you, but I never said it made sense.

Another deeper sigh.

The more I try not to worry, to deliberately simplify, the more anxious I get. Sometimes it seems like a vicious cycle.

I think Ann was onto something …it’s impossible to worry if one is giving thanks to God. If I’m busy thanking Him for all things, I won’t have time to worry about the small stuff. It seems so simple, but really it is true. It is a discipline, though.

A discipline that  I continue to work on because I want this so badly.

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Life Bursting At The Seams

Water Drop

Image by Isolino via Flickr

Yesterday was my birthday. Today is the first day of my new year. The excitement. The possibilities…are endless.

The old year is gone. Never to return. Each birthday is a sort of rebirth, isn’t it?  Try new things. Be creative. Get better. Smile more. Love more. Laugh out loud.

It’s a chance to learn more.  Although I love books, I’m not talking about word knowledge.

*There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge

*Sometimes taking a step back from a situation, is really moving forward

*Being a good speaker, is more than just knowing the words to say

*Being able to say “I’m sorry”…two of the most important words in the English language

*Understanding that life is not a dress rehearsal

*Remembering that there is no one like me

*Life isn’t an emergency

*Slow down, rushing around just makes me unnecessarily frazzled

*Love people

*Smile a lot

*Don’t be afraid to share my heart

*It is not necessary to say everything I’m thinking

*Really understanding, “This too shall pass”

*Believing that God knows and loves me–on a daily basis

*Sometimes life hurts, embrace this without letting it destroy me

*Jesus walks with me

*Life is short, no matter how long I live

*I need to live my life in light of eternity

*Serve with joy

Proverbs 4:6-7
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (NIV)

Psalm 107:43
Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD. (NIV)

Related articles

The Time Of My Life

Hour Glass

Image by andrusdevelopment via Flickr

Time is a blessing.

On most days, we feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. We scurry around trying to get all the things checked off on our to do lists. We make appointments, try to squeeze in a few hours of sleep, and work, while we watch the clock. Time doesn’t always feel like a blessing. Sometimes time feels like a curse, especially when we feel we don’t have enough of it.We are hardly ever satisfied with time.

The other day I was pondering, time. I was thinking about how time has affected me. Changed me. How my whole life is different–and time has played a role in that. On rough, hard days time mercifully brought night and sleep…knowing “this too shall pass”.  On other days time brought a beautiful sunrise and the excitement of a new day. There are moments in time that are etched forever in my memory. For good and bad. But time has never stopped.

In 1986, I graduated from high school. I smiled as I walked across the stage to accept my scholarship. I knew that my time in high school was well spent.

In 1990 I graduated from college. I knew my degree would allow me to spend time doing what I loved…teaching.

In 1992 I married in the heat of July in the South. In tons of taffeta and lace. And I wondered to myself, why did I pick this time of year?

In 1994 I found out I was pregnant. Time had a whole new meaning to me…as I waited.

In 1998 when my son was three, I wanted time to slow down. Three years old. It was a great year. I wanted to remember everything. Absolutely everything.

In 1999 my husband was diagnosed with a terminal heart disease. Each moment became important. We began to realize that he would not live to old age. And time seemed cruel.

In 2000, when the emergency doctors and nurses yelled, “Code Blue” time stood still. I felt as if I was caught in a slow motion machine. Unable to move as the medical personnel swarmed my husband.

After the funeral, evenings became long…not sure how to fill my time. A new kind of normal.

Five years of widowhood. I realized time doesn’t stop for anyone…and my son and I were going to be okay. Time was therapeutic.

December 2005 . Remarriage. Vows.  A new life. Time seemed promising.

Teenagers in the house…not many years left with them before they move on to their own independence. Time seems to be moving at warp speed.

My husband and I in our 40’s. Within the next decade, facing the “empty nest”. Time has possibilities.

And here I sit. On January 13, 2011. A new year is just beginning. I have no idea what it will hold for me. It’s kind of exciting, and a little scary.

Because time stops for no one.

 

 

 

Related Articles