Lessons Learned

I think time spent reflecting and meditating is one of the most valuable disciplines we as Christians can learn. One of my favorite blogs has a recent posting about the seven things she learned this year. It's entitled "Seven Live Changing Lessons I Learned in 2009". And another favorite blog here, about making next year better has caused me to ponder this morning. (I've also found another mom who blogs about what she's learned. Pop on over to JoLynne's page to see what it is today!)

I have thought to myself before that we should look at the first day of the month the same way we view the first day of the year. For some magical reason unknown to me, January first has the power to make things "new" in people's minds. They start making goals and resolutions and looking forward to changing and making the next year better (thinner, more financially responsible, etc. etc.). In actuality, the "new" year is not new, it's older. We've moved from 2009 to 2010, we will each turn a year older. But in case you think I'm being a Debbie Downer, I'm not. Getting older is not a bad thing as wisdom comes with maturity and maturity often comes with getting older.
I'm often times visited by a dear friend of ours from Church. My children call her "Grandma J". She never comes without bringing little gifts for the kids, coloring books, puzzles, all sorts of fun little toys. (Many times she brings chocolate for me. Dear woman!) She sits at my table and we visit for a time and I try to soak up the years of experience and lifetime of love that she has lived. Her parents and I share an anniversary. We honored Bill and Dicie (yep, her name is Dicie isn't she cute?) at our wedding because they had been married 73 years that day. If anyone knows how to do life and marriage, it's a couple who have been married for 73 years and still look at one another with a love deeper than any I've seen. No, getting older does not scare me, nor does it make me feel down. It gives me hope. It gives me hope that I will deepen relationships, strengthen family ties, grow traditions, and find peace deeper than I did last year. A new year brings with it anticipation of the good things to come, and the opportunity to mature, to age.

So as I seek to start this "older year", this is my prayer: that I would realize"His compassion begins new every morning" not just once a year, or not just once a month, but every day.
When my alarm goes off and I begin the "new routine" (yep, a resolution for 2010!) I want to dwell in the oldness of time, the history that will mold me into who I can be today!