Happy New Year Everyone! Here we are again at the top of another great year, because every moment of every day is an adventure, and every day that I wake up, I always say, “Thank you Lord for this day, this is a gift of God!” I truly mean this, because not one of us is assured another moment, let alone another day. While everyone is going around making resolutions, I know that if I challenge myself too much, I have more chance of not being able to fulfill my own expectations. I still write down my goals for 2018, but I know the importance of just taking one day at a time, and letting God lead me in the way I should go.
Much of this reasoning comes from my nursing career. For the past 28 years, I have watched lives come and go. One story I shall never forget was that of the lady who came to the hospital for the ‘flu-like’ symptoms. She had the usual achy feeling, headache, and congestion. After two days of admittance, she took a serious turn for the worse. She told me of her two daughters, and about the bitter divorce she went through many years ago. The older daughter went to live with her husband, and the younger daughter stayed with her. From that day, she said she never again saw her older daughter. I am not sure just why she told me this story, but I had a feeling she was trying to let me know for a reason. The next day, as she became more serious, the younger daughter came to stay with her mother. Later that day, the daughter asked me a question. How serious was her mother’s condition, and should she try to contact her sister? Having heard the story, I said “yes, please try to contact your sister.”
After many attempts, the younger daughter was able to find the number and she did contact her sister. The sister said, “Oh, I have waited so long for this phone call. I am on my way.” The next two days were forever etched in my mind. The older sister did come, and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried together. Both admitted how foolish they had been, and how sorry they were for the missed years. Before the mother died, the two sisters held hands and hugged one another. They both promised their mother that they would never be apart, and the three of them made peace.
This story always reminds me of what is important in life. I have summed it up like this. The main people in my life are my family; my husband, my children and grandchildren. Nothing must come between us. The second is my commitment to the Lord, my God. I must always realize that without Him, I am nothing. And thirdly, I want to love my neighbor as myself. To be less selfish and more giving. To be more compassionate, and less judgmental. Whether it is the start of a new year, or the ending of the old, these three commitments must be my staple.
Life will still happen, and there will be unexpected surprises along the way. Many of my resolutions will be re-visited, and I’m sure I will have to remind myself again of what my goals are. But one thing for sure, the Lord will never leave me, nor forsake me. To Him all I owe!
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