I have been writing a New Year’s Eve reflection for several year’s now. Typically I write it in the evening, but our friends are making us act social tonight, so I best do this a little early.
Twenty years ago today I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. My father and I went out on a date. We saw the movie IQ and talked a lot about my future. I was a senior in college, torn between two men I loved, unsure as to how to handle choosing. I was confused about career and life paths. Dad listened and helped my think through those choices. He talked about the choice he made to marry my mom. That night I made the decision on which of the two guys I would chose, believing that I was literally making the decision on who I would marry. The next day I called the man that two years later I would indeed marry. My dad would not live to see that day, but lived long enough to give his blessing and see me in my wedding dress. I knew even then of the weight of that day in my life even though I could never have seen then what the next 20 years would hold in both love and loss.
One year ago today I had no idea what this year would hold. I had no idea that my job would pack up and move their location 5 minutes closer to my home and that when I unpacked my classroom boxes I would be unpacking the boxes for fourth grade. Fourth Grade! I could not have imagined the learning curve I would have to teach this new grade, nor how very much I would love it. I knew my mom’s health would not be good this year as her fall diagnosis was not pretty, but mom was on the mend. I could not foresee the medical struggles she would have this year that would literally consume half of the year. I did not expect to be resigning from my position as a scout leader, nor taking a leave from working with Justice Journey at church. I did not know how very much I would need that time away from “ministry” in order to minister to my family.
It’s funny that no matter how many times I come to the same conclusions that I can not possibly predict what the coming year will hold, I still find myself shocked by the things that transpire that don’t quite meet my epectations.
2015- Surprise Me!
