New Beginnings

As I have mentioned in the past, my wife is fond of saying “Today is a brand new day, with no mistakes in it.” Along that vein, I will paraphrase it to” this is a brand new year with no mistakes in it.”

We all have had some items from the past year which we probably wish not to repeat. This is your chance for a brand new fresh start. 365 days in front of us to make ourselves, our families, our lives better.

Sure, many people set lofty resolutions for the New Year—many of which are long forgotten by Valentine’s Day. Some of us may stay on track and accomplish them.

I gave up on making resolutions long ago, as I was terrible at remembering them and they usually went down in flames long before the year’s end. Instead, I declare reasonable goals for the New Year. (I know, it is all in semantics—resolution vs. goals—but, I prefer the term goals as it doesn’t feel as weighty or make me over reach what I hope to accomplish)

This year, I have one general goal (celebrate the coming of 2015—as a “terminal” cancer patient, it would be a good thing for me and the family). Additionally, I have set the goal to read through the Bible 4 times following the Bible in 90 days reading plan. I may lower that to 3 times to allow wiggle room for days I am too fatigued to read or work over or am pressed for time due to life, as usual, interfering with MY plans.

Also, I would like to complete another half marathon, but am looking local (McAllen, Texas half in December) and run several other shorter “races”—my kids need more t-shirts to sleep in. I could also stand to lose about 30 pounds and would like to work out more often, as it should help me keep my energy levels in check and help with the fatigue issues.

On the academic side, I need to brush up on my Spanish and start working on my Bachelor’s degree program, I just might survive long enough to need another job in 10 years or so!

As we move forward into the New Year, let’s look to the Bible for guidance. The first four words should be read to start the year, “In the Beginning, God…” What more do we need to remember? God should be in the start of everything we do, through prayer and listening for guidance, moving forward to accomplish what He has for us. We all have a plan written for our lives, we just need to ensure we are looking for and following His plan and not our own.

Happy New Year to all.