As 2012 fades and makes way for 2013, I think how blessed I am to have lived another year and look forward to the opportunity to celebrate a new one. Each day is a gift, each moment. Even the moments I wish I could have left unwrapped, those are gifts, too. They built faith; they taught tolerance. They strengthened.
I ended my love affair with space and collections and many expectations. I made room in my mind for less of life's clutter and more of life's simplicity. I replaced tangibles with intangibles. I witnessed the restoration of relationships... such a good thing. I
experienced the joy of meeting new people. Was blessed again and again
by old friends, family and God.
Today I find myself enjoying more of the simple things in life. A giggle, a hug, a smile, a walk in the woods, the memory of a family celebration. First tooth loss, first home purchase, engagement, new jobs, first band concert.
As I look back on 2012, there are some conversations I regret. Yet, many conversations I memorized and locked inside my heart. It's okay to let go of some things in life. It's okay to end things. Every ending gives birth to a beginning-- beginnings that are not always comfortable, familiar, or typical of yesterday. Every sunset falls asleep in the arms of God to awaken to the sunrise of a new day. The darkness of every new moon grows into the light of a fresh full moon. We fill all the hours and days in between with the stuff life is made of... the sorrow, the love, the grief, the joy. Amid the disappointments and trials, we also find surprises, triumphs and victories, if...
...if we open the doors and look for them.
So, as you think about last year, do not dwell too long in moments which ended in regret or sadness. Close the door on them. Consider those moments you found beautiful, and those moments and hours filled with laughter, goodness and love. Savor those. They will carry you through all the stuff between each ending and lend you hope to begin again. selahV
