New Decade

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:28 (The Message)

Happy New Year! Today was all about out with the old and in with the new. An introspective and reflective day split between putting away the Christmas trees and ornaments and cleaning out my closet. As I wrapped up the ornaments, I looked at their dates and thought about what we were doing at the time of their purchase. I admired the little animals each holding a date as one by one the decade unfolded. A Santa and reindeer purchased 50% off at the beach in July. As I cleaned out my closet, I found a dress and shoes I bought for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Jeans I will probably never fit into again, but with beautiful embroidery that I hate to throw away. Pictures taken for long ago Christmas cards. A pair of hiking boots worn on a mountain vacation. All of it had me thinking a lot about where the last ten years have gone. A decade ago we were worried about Y2K. While I didn’t stock up on rice, I was afraid to let oldest son go to a large church event on New Year’s Eve for fear that the electricity would shut down, all the traffic lights would fail and riots would break out. Needless to say, I let him go and my fears were soon proved unfounded. Ten years ago, we still relied on a well for our water source. Our clothes were splotchy from chlorine gone amuck. I had no horse and we were in a brief Dobermanless period having switched to Vizslas and Rottweillers for a short period of time. I drove a station wagon which I loved. My mobile phone was a big clunky thing, and we only had one computer, a big desktop. Between work, church and parenting, I had no time for hobbies. Our boys were eight and thirteen. They were just on the cusp of adolescence. Oldest had just quit soccer and begun Civil Air Patrol. Youngest had just started public school, just been diagnosed learning disabled and just begun his season of being mad at the world. Husband and I had been married eighteen years, but still had some baggage we needed to sort out. I was just in my forties, clueless about perimenopause and thinking I might be losing my mind. Remembering about that time makes me realize how glad I am that that decade is behind me. So much has happened in the last ten years that I never dreamed possible. Some were sad, some were happy, but overall, I am convinced that none of it came to us by chance. I am stronger in my belief today than I was in 2000 that God is in control and that He wants only good for us if we just trust Him and obey Him. Looking ahead and I cannot imagine what this new decade will bring, but am confident that while my life and circumstances will change, God will not. You can be sure of it!