The Abounding New

What is new seems to be abounding around here.  Four new calves in the pasture is no small thing.  For nine months they have been anticipated and even now, there is hope for more to come.  And, today a new pair of never before worn blue jeans were pulled on the first time.  Of course, the calendar had its own message as one page was turned and another one came into view announcing something the world has never seen.  It is a day and a season for celebrating the new in our lives.    

By now the fireworks have mostly been used up, though, some leftovers will likely flare into oblivion with the upcoming darkness.  They, along with so many other things, will pass into the realm of things remembered.  Some of the things remembered from what is behind will never be forgotten while there are also those unforgettable things we wish could be forgotten.  Both are a part of who we are and both have shaping power over the new stuff which is unfolding all around us.    

More than it being a time for short lived resolutions is it a time for celebrating the newness of the moment.  Taking stock of the new which is unfolding in our lives can be an important part of this moment with which God has blessed us.  And as we take stock of what is being experienced as new, we are likely to find an awareness of gratefulness coming forth in our lives.  Whether it is something as new as a fresh start, or something as new as a different perspective of past difficulties, taking a moment to ponder it all may grant to us a blessing which comes as a gift of grace from the God who gives us so much.