Uphill idealist

It's a brand new year. It's a totally new day. The number for this new year 2010, reminds me of many science fiction movies filled with exciting plots and never-ending opportunities. I'm not suggesting that this year will be one filled with flying cars and robots, although that might be cool, but I have this gut feeling that 2010 is a year for forward looking and brave step taking. While I write this note on the Eve of the new year, I find myself in the gear of looking back to what 2009 was. I keep thinking those thoughts like: what if I did this, that or the other thing? Would this last year have turned out different? If permitted to, I suppose I could spend all this upcoming year fussing over what could have been in 2009, but spending my time in this way would not be wise in light of the hope and newness of the year to come. Isaiah 43: 16,18,19 says, "This is what the Lord says, ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it...

Northern lights image from Redbubble . Throughout this last week, its been a combination of joy and struggle. Joy for the holiday and struggle for ongoing back problems for my husband. We're going on week 3 with the challenges of disk problems all during the busiest time of the year. Thankfully though, there have been flickers of joy and hope in the midst of all this. These may not be visible like the beauty of the Northern Lights pictured above, but they are reminders that all will be well. Flickers like: Family dinners where taking a prepackaged veggie/cheese tray is totally cool as a dish to pass. Opening gifts with my husband and kids after midnight worship leading into Christmas wee-hours. Seeing my husband happily distracted from discomfort by the books and music he received. Enjoying a salon therapy afternoon with my daughter. Play Wii games all week-end long. DJ Hero is the best! Reading a whole novel in a day. Making headway with the specialist, physical therapist, and pla...