This New Year’s Eve was the twenty-eighth that my husband and I have spent together. Starting with the first year we met, we’ve never missed a year; even the year I had the flu and he took care of me.

I remember details from other New Year’s Eves as well. Remember Y2K? So much hype. So little consequences. We did try to have some fun at our house that night. At midnight we shut the main power off. The house went black! Well, none of our party guests fell for it; but we did all have a good laugh. Another December 31st that stands out is the one that our little new born son saw his first 24 hours in our home. It was a special ending to the year and a bundle of expectation for many more to come.

With the beginning of each new year I can’t but help feel a sense of expectation and freedom. I feel like the letdowns or failures of the past year don’t matter anymore, and the new year is a blank slate to start again. I love that feeling. I know any day can be the start of something better, but that “1/1” offers a cleansing, initiates a reset, and creates hope.

I am feeling optimistic about 2014. I know there will be ups and downs. That’s the way life is. But I also know that God is good and ever present. He is my rock and my shield. Above all else I hope to grow closer to him this year. I pray for deeper trust and greater faith. I pray that my energy and time is spent in a manner pleasing to him. I am excited about this new website, and I am looking forward to where it will be a year from now.

This year, like every year, I want to try to be mindful of each precious moment. Time goes so fast. Case in point, our far from little son is studying for his license! In addition to that, our daughter has a wedding date set for a year from this spring, and I’ve now spent almost three decades with my husband. I remember when we were first married I looked forward to our tenth wedding anniversary with awe. It seemed so far way. Now it’s behind us by over a decade. There’s been so much to cherish and still so much to look forward to. I am ready, and I thank God that we are all heading into this new year together.

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