It’s a New Year!
The last three years. What best describes them? I’m thinking immediately of one word….. “ Ugh “….ha ha.
For us in 2020 …like most of the world ….it was lockdown. Then in 2021 our whole family came down with Covid at Christmas.
This past year showed us a world of wars and disasters, fires, droughts, floods, and oh so much hatred.
And Covid is still here and so are several new viruses. Our world politicians are often horrible humans and our neighbours might not even know each other to say, ‘Hello’.
But every year is a chance to start anew.
We all know about resolutions that are made….and probably not kept. But change would be good, no?
Name one resolution that you think you could keep.
Could we find it in our hearts or wallets to give to a new cause/charity?
Would we be able to reach out to one neighbour with a friendly wave or even a piece of cake?
Can we do an act of kindness that no one knows about except ourselves and our God? Can we do this….once a month?
Is it possible to make a call to a lonely friend, even if we haven’t spoken to them in years? Or a relative that might like to hear our voice?
Are we able to shovel someone’s walkway or give to our neighbourhood food bank?
Can we make a resolution to start off each day by saying, “Thank-you, God, for this day” ?
It’s all well and good to eat healthy and to work out and lose weight too.
Perhaps this year we can include a resolution that helps someone else out.
Let’s love more. Let’s speak with kindness to others more. Let’s pray more and be thankful for all the good that IS in the world.
I’m thankful for YOU!
Time to work on my own resolutions…..
My good friend, Doug and his bride, Judy and family put their timepieces and calendars on the table and they pray this blessing from “Ed Hays” and his book “Prayers for the Domestic Church”. I think it’s a wonderful idea….
“Holy Creator, you who live outside of time, and reside in the imperishable moment,
We ask you, on the beginning of this New Year, your blessing upon your gift of time.
Bless our clocks and watches and phones, you who kindly direct us to observe the passing of minutes and hours.
May these markers of time make us aware of the miracle of each second of life we experience.
May these ticking servants help us not to miss that which is important, while you keep us from machine-like routine.
May we be ever free from being clock watchers, and instead become time lovers.
Bless our calendars, these ordered lists of days, weeks, and months, of holidays, holy days, fasts and feasts, all our special days of remembering.
May these servants, our calendars, once reserved for the royal few, for magi and pyramid priests, now grace our homes and our lives.
May they remind us of birthdays and other gift-days as they teach us the secret that all life is meant for celebration and contemplation.
Bless, O Divine Marker of Time, this new year, each of its 365 days and nights.
Bless us with new moons and full moons: bless us with happy seasons and long life.
Grant to us, O God, this new year’s gift of a year of love.
Amen. “