It’s been awhile. I have already seen and heard a lot in 2025. Christmas was well underway when I returned from Prague with a segway to Baltimore. I still miss Cousin Susie. Cards did not get written but I haven’t given up on a New Year’s note. I’m back from chilly north Idaho but the family I love there still have warm hearts. We are doing our best. There are some things from 2024 I need to put to rest. There are many Bible verses about burdens and how to ax them. I am planning to focus on the healing Psalms this year. I had a lively picture in my mind after three months of volunteering. It is already different. Just feeling warm in a cozy house seems to be enough as long as I don’t run out of decaf coffee. I’m going through Christmas books, cookbooks, and books in general. The back of my car is filled with items I hope someone else will enjoy. It is difficult to put the few reminders of Jesus birth, I’ve managed, without doing a refresh on a small garage. I read the best devotional on Isaiah 51:1-6 from Our Daily Bread, January 2, 2025, by Winn Collier. God promises His presence despite destruction. Verse 6 reads, “The Heavens will vanish like smoke…But My salvation will last forever”. When God’s people face any calamity He is still with us. Here is my favorite part of this passage; He said that He would “look with compassion on all her ruins; (and would) make her wastelands…like the garden of the Lord”, verse 3. We need to make peace with what others do and lay it down. God sees it. He sees us when we are cold and lonely. He also rejoices in the parties of our lives – those good seasons. 2025 is a mystery. We think we can make bold plans and master this life but I think a better choice is to lay it down at the foot of the cross. Yes, there will be joy – maybe even dancing, and yes, there will be suffering that for me results in a pity-party. God makes promises beyond the ruins and we should try to trust. I’m also editing books that have grown dusty on my shelves. In the outbox are The Poems of Dr Zhivago, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (from my grandkid’s shelf but they now live in other places), and Opening our Hearts, Transforming our Losses. It feels like there is so much to do to get this year right but maybe not? Hello this year – Goodbye last year.
