thirty-one: and the year is done
I used to view New Year’s as a fresh start. A clean state. A blank page. I used to. But I don’t anymore.
The New Year signifies the need to bust out a new calendar. It means I need to train my brain to write a new number when I jot down the date. It’s a reminder, like my birthday, that I’m another year older.
But it’s not a new beginning.
Not any more than any other day is.
I’m grateful for the newness in each morning. The fresh mercies that come with the sunrise. The everlasting arms that hug me awake. The clean-slate grace that meets me as I mumble my way out of bed. And the breath of life that’s breathed into me. Again.
This December thirty-one, I’m looking back at how far I’ve come He’s brought me. And I’m looking ahead to where He’ll take me tomorrow. And the day after that. And the one after that.
I don’t do resolutions, but I am doing something new this year. I’m writing an email to my future self which I’ll receive on New Year’s Eve 2009.
Why don’t you do it, too? A year from now you’ll be glad you did.
Happy New Year, friends.
Great idea, Alece. I love how you even set it up for us.
hehehe. Fun! Have a wonderful New Years Eve!!!
that is very cool.
thanks for sharing the idea.
Great idea! I just wrote mine! Mind if I post a link from my blog as well? I think everyone should do this.
I feel the same way. Im not very excited about a new year, this one sucked pretty bad. but i guess the main thing is that we made it! haha ok thats not very funny but its how i feel for now. my grandma passed away last night and the thought of going through my first year without her is a hard one to deal with. I guess we are in the same boat on that one though. I have always felt that each year gets better, but that was no the case this year and i have a feeling this next year wont be so hot either! i hope i am wrong and am willing to work with whatever comes my way.
Happy New year Alece! What are your plans for tonight and tomorrow?
hm… I will have to think about that one.
Now that you have successfully done 31 days blogging how do you feel? Is there a plan for the next month?
katie — of course you can link to it! go for it!
faith — oh i am so sorry about your grandma… i’ll email you. love you.
@ — it feels good to have accomplished something i set for myself to do. i’m partially relieved that i’m “done” and partially thinking “what the heck will i blog about on january 2?!” ha.
That is such a good idea. I want to make sure I don’t write what I think I’m SUPPOSED to write, but something honest and real.
For me, New Year’s Eve is more about getting really quiet and looking back and remembering the journey of the last year with God. And acknowledging the things He’s done, and praising Him for them. But I think I need to spend more time looking forward, too. I think this exercise could help with that.
Happy New Year, Alece. Looking forward to going into 2009 with you.
you are so funny…where do you find this stuff…I love it. When I have a chance, I will have to it.
I love you more than you probably know..and am glad I got to spend some of 2008 (though not much of it with all of our US travels) with you and am looking to more FACE TIME in 2009. Hey…that rhymes! :)
I have mixed feelings about the New Year. It’s sad and exciting. Sad because it’s like a marker for the END of something, and it forces you to look back at the year…. and this year was one that went by SO FAST and was filled many many changes. It just went too fast. Exciting because it’s FRESH, another marker for the beginning of something, if you so choose to start something new. ;-) I have ONE resolution this year which I’ll post about later. ;-)
I am usually more sad about other markers throughout the year….. like birthdays. Kid Birthdays to be more exact. That is how I really measure my time. And Anniversaries. Those are more important to me than the turn of a New Year.
I’m doin it!
and hopefully a year from now you can say, “dang! so glad that season’s over!”
lisa — that’s exactly what i’m thinking. i want to write something honest and real. not eloquent, just raw.
char — thank you for telling me you love me like that. really. and “face time in 09″ sounds like a great motto.
bran — i’m with you, friend. and i wanna hear that resolution.
becca — good for you.
tracee — dang straight.
I’m poking my head back into the blogoshpere to say Happy New Year to you. Here’s to a new year with fresh opportunities and God’s mercies that are ALWAYS new!
Many, many blessings on you in this coming year!
I cannot imagine not 2008 without you friend.
Yea, when I write mine, I want it to be truly transparent, not for show, but for me and God.
I am so looking forward to 2009 WITH you shoulder to shoulder, laughing, giggling, a little crying and I so hope this will be the here I can
hug ya too. I promise I’ll be gentle, just like you are with my heart.
2009 is going to be a good year… God already filled it with His Faithfulness!!!
I cannot imagine not 2008 without you friend
should be
I cannot imagine 2008 without you friend
(this will be the year of no typos :) )
I agree totally. So many people (including myself in the past) seem to make New Years the time to make changes in our lives and some people may even wait subconsciously.
New mercies everyday! Everyday is a new day. Why not take the initiative now to let God work in us rather than wait?
I wrote another one. Just ‘cus. And I set it to send it to me in 2011.
I wonder how you find this stuff.
Though I was most impressed by Tompkins or whatever the frog’s name was. Haha.
You’re wonderful. And I love you.
Sending an e-mail to ourselves is a great idea. I doesn’t matter to me what I write, the fact that I would be alive to read it is enough.
You are right everyday is a fresh beginning, just like New Years day. If we get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other anything is possible.
brad — thanks for popping back in for me! happy 09 to you too!
heidi — i love your typos! :) and i love you. thanks for your fierce friendship. you have changed my life.
marc — amen!
becca — now let’s hope you still use that same address at the end of 2011! and yeah, hopkins was a great find. (p.s. i’ll find my frog.) thanks for saying i’m wonderful. and i love you, too!
ed — “the fact that i would be alive to read it to read it is enough.” that’s true, no matter what age we are. cheers to you tonight!
What a t-rif idea!
Now, if I could only figure out how to send it to myself in a year :)
one day at a time. sounds good to me!
i dont do resolutions either – but i think im gonna write me a little note too. but im with cindy…how do i send it to myself in a year? can i auto send it? cuz, Lord knows, i wont remember!
happy new year!
Happy Thursday, Alece!
New every morning…. all I can do, Alece, is write in tears….
Thanks for sharing….
Dwight
yea, happy thursday, alece :)
i’m gonna go fix myself some coffee (instant coffee since i’m back at my parents’ house:) …filter coffee in SA, instant in the US of A…odd!) and do some writing to my future self. good idear.
cindy and tam — my new post is for you. i bet you’re not the only ones either… so, thanks for speaking up!
amy — happy thursday indeed!
dwight — i write in tears often. i’m glad you stopped by… hope you stay a while.
swinger — oh ducky and her instant coffee! i bet your email is going to be incredible to look back on a year from now.
i haven’t done mine yet cause yesterday got away from me. it’s time …
hm… I tried to do it yesterday and used the backspace and delete keys more than any others so I thought about coming back to it today. You know why I struggled? I needed a purpose.
What is your purpose? – be it ever so simple or ambiguous, I would like to know.
Happy 2009!
gigi — a purpose for writing an email to your future self? hmm. mine is: when i get to the end of a year and try to think back over everything that’s happened, it’s hard for me to see past the immediate past. i struggle to remember what i was doing in july, never mind january. and to go deeper than what i was doing to what was happening in my heart? yeah, my brain simply can’t unpack it all. writing NOW to myself THEN will give me a raw, honest glimpse at where i was: the good, the bad, and the ugly. it’ll help me take better stock then by seeing how far i actually did come, where i made progress, where i stayed the same, etc.
that’s my purpose, but i’m sure other people have others…
That is a good reason. Thanks for ‘splaining me it. :-)
That makes sense to just write about what is happening now to remind myself when the year is out what was happening. I have the same ‘living in the moment’ tendencies. Looking back is not a common practice, I can see the value in it though.
Great idea! And that’s a great way of viewing the new year – that that same newness we receive each and every day as beloved children of Almighty God. Great thought.
angie — did you write it yet?? :)
annie — thanks, friend.