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It’s time to kick out the old and welcome the new. As we approach the ending of another year, we tend to look back at all the icky stuff that happened during that time. We hope that a new beginning will bring better things and give us hope for the future. In fact, we sing about that in the old traditional song, “Auld Lang Syne,” which literally means times long past or once upon a time. Sounds like a fairy tale to me. I guess when you’ve spent almost 83 years on this planet, you tend to have some skepticism regarding that statement. We can start out with high hopes for happily ever afters, but life gets in the way. People age – their health begins to fail – their giant goals of the past have dwindled into fleeting memories. The experiences of turning the calendar from December 31st to January 1st make you realize that all those resolutions have little merit. All your dreams of starting a new adventure have slipped away and you’re just happy to be alive.

I don’t by any means want you to think I’m being negative here, but realistically, we all go through these thoughts at the end of one year and the beginning of another. There may have been monumental changes in the past twelve months. Weddings, new birth, healthy children, good jobs, but at the same time, you may be trying to say goodbye to the ugliness of the past year. The deaths, loss of employment, failing health, changes that you have no control over can soon accumulate into a giant ball of depression and anxiety.

Saying goodby to 2024 will be easier for some than others. Saying hello to 2025 is looking forward with hope and new challenges. Life goes on and we all will face both. When you start a new year, you may think things are going to be so much better. You set goals that often are unachievable. Still without a plan we might wind up with a repeat of the past year.

I have discovered that it’s necessary for us to make plans for the future, but it’s also necessary to surrender to God’s plan for our lives. He laid those plans out on the drawing board before we ever came to be. He knows what’s on the horizon for us. He hears our prayers. He is always with us. He keeps His promises. He lifts us up when we are down. He has provided a perfect life and place for us after death. We can depend on Him. Get to know Him if you already don’t. Even when we think we have all the answers, we don’t. Trusting in the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God will lead you into a new year, a new month, a new day and every second of your lie.

Your once upon a time begins now. May God bless you as you continue this journey on earth and look forward to a life in heaven. Happy New Year!