Fresh starts are so nice, aren’t they? A blank canvas. A wide open road.
Fresh starts are something I actually long for. Maybe it is because I grew up in the same area from Kindergarten through 12th grade? We were not a military family who moved every three years…but growing up in the Washington, D.C. area I saw a lot of families move in to town for a period of time, and then leave. It was hard being the one left behind – suddenly a best friend was no longer there for play-dates and McDonalds treats together. I always quietly envied those friends moving away and their chance to dash off to news cities, new schools, and new life experiences. The unknown can be intimidating, yet it was always something I was curious about.
I used to dream about sneaking up to Times Square with my high school friends to watch the ball drop. My group of girl friends knew that our parents would never allow it; yet sometimes we would plot how we could get up and back to NYC without parents ever finding out. Lovely. The mere thought of the thrill of the experience made my heart race. We never made it happen…the parking + the bathroom situation in Times Square being the two main negatives. But the electric energy of welcoming the New Year while being surrounded by thousands of people and falling confetti was SO enticing.
These days I love nothing more than a dull, normal, and mundane day with a quiet house and healthy family members. It’s quite hilarious how much can change in just a few short decades. Whatever it is that sets your heart aglow – we wish that for you this coming year.
Obviously none of us know what 2022 will hold. Will in-person learning be allowed to continue? Will another strand of the dreaded virus rear its ugly head? Will our kids be able to return to “normal” childhoods? How many more natural disasters will there be? Will our country continue to fight over what divides us, instead of uniting behind what holds us together? Will our family be struck by a disease diagnosis or a nightmare phone-call of a tragic accident?
We know the answer to none of the above questions. Thank God for that. It’s all just too much.
That said, an inspiring screen shot popped up on my Instagram leading up to New Year’s Eve, and it encompassed so much of what has been whispering into my heart lately. I would like to share those words from that Instagram post below…let us keep asking God to lead and carry us through 2022.
10 REMINDERS FOR 2022:
Honor rest
Eliminate hurry
Read great books
Practice generosity
Make a list of priorities
Spend more time having fun
Share gratefulness regularly
When worry hits, turn to prayer
Be slow to speak, and quick to listen
Connect with people who inspire you
-Alli Worthington
Hope in the Heartache 