This morning, I woke up to I Hope You Dance running through my head. It is the perfect song for the start of a new year.
May you have a blessed 2022!
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Tag: new year
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New Years’ Eve 2021
“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”
Bill Vaughan Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2021. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/bill_vaughan_105780, accessed December 31, 2021.
Bill Vaughan
We finally made it to the end of 2021! It’s been a roller coaster ride of emotions this past year. Frankly, I may have to flip a coin to decide whether I’ll be an optimist or a pessimist this New Years’ Eve.
Either way, I am glad we have a new year coming and relieved this one is over. it’s too bad we can’t have a total reset and start this year as if the previous two ever happened. But we can look forward to possibilities. The next day, month, and year is always an opportunity to move forward.
We can’t change the past, nor can we know the future. But we can take practical steps today in the present that will improve tomorrow. Keep hoping, believing, and working towards a better future. We made it this far. Happy New Years’ Eve 2021. Let’s make 2022 count!
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What Motivates You?
What gets you going each day? Is it the news? Is it a feeling that you have to perform? Maybe you’re motivated because the rent is due. Perhaps it is just money. That can be an issue when you’re asked to volunteer for something! What motivates you?
Some of us may want to make the world a better place. Others are in survival mode and think this world is a lost cause. Some see possibility today. Others fear the new year will just be a repeat of the previous two. After all, we thought 2021 would be better than 2020, right?
How we see the world determines how we act. I have found the following verse to be a better way.
“ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
Hebrews 10:24 (NLT) via BibleGateway.com
If we want the world to change, we can begin in our own sphere of influence.
- Check on a neighbor today to see how they’re doing
- Write an encouraging text to a family member or friend
- Smile even if you have to wear a mask
- Find the silver-lining in a situation
- Offer a solution to a problem instead of complaining
What motivates you? We can take responsibility today and end 2021 on a high note. After all, it may help us start 2022 off on the right foot.
No matter how you slice it, 2020 was a rough year. We had two promising months in the beginning before we realized we were facing a global crisis. Can anything good come of such a trying year? Yes, it can!
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)
This verse reminds me that all is not lost. When it seems there is nothing but wilderness and desert, we can know that things will get better. Good things are coming.
If you are reading this, congratulations! You made it through 2020! A new year means there is potential for a new beginning. It’s fun for me to look back through my posts talking about a new year. Each one sounded hopeful. And yes, we have reasons to be hopeful. We’ve learned some important lessons about perseverance, patience, and about pivoting during trying circumstances. These lessons can be very good for us in the future.
Like you, I am glad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. But let’s also look forward. We will see a way in the wilderness. We will see rivers form in the desert. This year was not wasted. It can set up for success in 2021.
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Thoughts on a Winter Solstice Run
After a couple of very cold days, this morning was a perfect time for a winter morning run. The temperature was hovering around the freezing mark. Most of the snow had melted on the asphalt trail, though there were some snowy and icy spots where trees have kept the sun at bay.
Winter Along the Wolf Creek Recreational Trail 
Winter Solstice Sunrise in Southwest Ohio 
Early Winter Morning Along the Wolf Creek Recreational Trail 
Winter Farm Field Near US 40, Brookville, Ohio
I noticed a few things on my morning run:
- The sun was shining through the clouds. Frequently this time of year, the sun shines in the morning and it becomes overcast later. If I want to see the sun, I need to get up for it.
- No one else was on the trail. Yet there were scores of human footprints, bike tracks, and animal tracks. I don’t always realize that though I am alone, many have come before me.
- I rarely notice when the wind is at my back, but I know when I am heading into it. I need to remember to take the time to thank those that have given me a tailwind instead of focusing on the headwinds.
- Sore, tight muscles come when I’ve taken a few days off. But after a couple of miles, I forget they were aching. It reminds me to push through and know that things will get easier.
Winter officially arrives tonight. Seasons come and go. Each has their good times and challenges. May you have a great Christmas and new year. Let’s welcome the new decade, be positive and do the things that lead to success.