In the new year, and the quiet of an almost empty house, there have been plenty of opportunities to reflect, review, and reconfigure the events of 2013. But I feel enough has been said about them, so it is time to move on and look ahead to the coming year with excitement and baited breath. We have twelve months looming large on the distant, and not so distant, horizon, with potential around every corner, and things for which we will try to prepare. Planning is one thing, but there needs to be built in flexibility as a safeguard against disappointments and frustrations. With each new turn and moment, we are smart to take a lesson from our GPS's and recalculate the journey ahead.
So, all that being said, let me suggest you develop a "bucket list" for the year. Make them as diverse as your dreams. Include small things, as well as big ones. Guarantee success, and also grasp at the barely possible. Give something to someone every day, whether it be materialistic or emotional, spiritual guidance, to simple a kind word or gesture. Giving isn't as hard as you may think, and the littlest things can usually produce something huge in the life of another.
Get closer to your family, especially if relationships have been strained in the past. Hurts and slights, and wounds long ago healed over need not be opened every time you meet. Old roles and attitudes should be put aside, and the commonality of family should be shared.
Live love. It's what Jesus would want you to do.
