Blank Slate

It has been such a long time since I've written to you! I mean regularly. I'm sorry about that. I don't know how that happened. Well, actually I do, but I won't bore you with the details which will probably result in a long list of lame excuses. You know the drill. Instead of filling you in on everything's that transpired, I'll just start with - now.

I've got a good seat here, behind the fireplace at Caribou Coffee. Only a handful of people can stare at me...not practically the whole room full, like yesterday. I can't wait for the Fed-ex man to come with our new modem. It has truly put a damper on my computer time...but business, school and leisure!

The new year (today!) has given me an occasion to reflect on the past year and all the blessings I've been the recipient of. (There have been a LOT!) I've also be examining the losses I've experienced this year, of which there are a few. I do this annually this time of year, and spend time with God, asking Him what big lessons He wants me to learn from all of it. I don't think I can actually ask Him about it until the kids are back at school...too much hubbub in the house with Mike tiling and laying wood floor and Aaron recovering from shoulder surgery and his ice-pack cooler pump whirring 24/7 and my responsibilities of entertaining while the house is ripped up from remodeling (luckily it's mostly been for highschoolers - friends of Aaron and Bridgette - but, they come in packs of 7 to 10 kids at a time...). I could never concentrate, much less hear what God had to say amid all that chaos I lovingly call my family life. :)

My favorite thing about the new year, though, is that it is like a blank slate. I'm an office supply geek and I love new notebooks. The pages are all blank and the possibilities of the words those pages could hold one day - the secrets, the knowledge, the prose...it's just titilating! If an unused notebook is that exciting, imagine the possibility all these future days, minutes, seconds hold! We can be intentional about all of them. We can PLAN to make them as amazing as we can! I'm going to do that...

...these thoughts were prompted because yesterday I got a message on my cell while I was in the shower. I listened to it. It was from my best friend Connie's dad. He said he was really sorry he missed me, because he wanted to talk to me. He said Happy New Year, and he reminded me that I was loved - and told me not to forget that. My eyes filled up with tears. It was such a fatherly thing to do. You see, my own father died two years ago. And...my best friend Connie (his daughter) died three months ago. I spoke at her funeral.

We don't know how many days we get. Connie's were cut short. 46 years. Very short. There are no guarantees. I plan on making as many of my minutes in 2012 as amazing and impactful as possible. Starting right now. Happy new year! Be blessed! :)