It’s New Year’s Day night and I don’t know where the day went. Andrew, Kristin and the boys were here for a while, but for the most part, Janet and I have been with Lexie most of the day, just kind of chilling out. There’s always the first of the year things to get done – you know, like making sure the decorations are down and put away or any number of other things that signify the new year has begun.
One other thing in our family happens – our daughter Jill celebrates her birthday on the first day of the year. She wasn’t here for Christmas or her birthday this year – for the first time in a long time. So it wasn’t quite the same for our family – at least here in Indiana. We missed Jill quite a bit, but sooner or later she will be back – probably within several months.
One of the reasons that Janet and I can’t really figure out where the day went is that when Jill lived with us, she was adamant that we always be there for the beginning of her birthday at midnight. So Janet and I never went out on New Year’s Eve as Jill got a little upset if we weren’t home for the start of her special day. But when she got older and wanted to go out, that was fine, at least in her mind. Double standard, I guess. And not only did we have to be home at the beginning of her birthday, she liked it when we were available to her all day. As a Dad I can see that, the celebration of a birthday and everything. New Year’s Eve and Day became a grand birthday event at our home, for more than three decades now. It’s very rare that we even consider these days anything other than a party for Jill. And even though she isn’t here, we’re still so trained to be around for anything she wanted to do that we just sat here like, as my mother used to say, two bumps on a log…
Of the 365 days that we have to spend in this new year, one of them is pretty much over, with not too much accomplished, except memories of Jill’s birthdays from the times she was a little girl. We did, however, call Jill right after midnight so we could wish her a great birthday. We even called a few minutes after the new year started before it was even her birthday out in Oklahoma. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t late with our greetings! I am sure the rest of the family members did the same thing.
As the year progresses, we just don’t know what to expect. Things will heat up in the office the next several days and we are trying to get away at the beginning of next week, depending on the weather. As unusual as it may sound, I am just going with the flow and I know that the course for us will be set out by the Father before too long. The verse for tonight goes to the idea of trusting God with your heart. We are told, in Jer. 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
My encouragement this evening is that as we start this new year, God has a plan for you and for your life this year. My prayer is that you will listen for God’s still small voice and that you will seek His will with all your heart. And to our daughter Jill, Happy Birthday, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for you!
Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…