As the year draws to a close and the new year celebrations approach, I find myself thinking back to other years and other times and remembering people I knew and may know now, and places where I went and may still go now, and things that I did once upon a time that may still be a part of my life. I say may in all of these cases because things do change, people come and go, and places where we once loved to be or maybe didn't want to be in change, are not around, or we ourselves have changed and moved and things have been shaken up and turned around and made into something new.
A while ago I was thinking about some of the people and places and things in my past that had beens such a big part of my life but are not now, and I realized that I have no regrets. It's not always been an easy road and at the time when things began to shift and change it felt sometimes as if nothing would ever feel right again, but one thing I am understanding now is that having faith in the goodness of God and taking in the love that God offers to us freely can help us understand that thought things and people and places we loved may change or cease being a part of our life, whatever the transition is that happens, though painful, will find us in the end at a better place than where we were before. Every experience I've had has brought me in some way to the place where I am now, and that includes the challenges and heartaches and hardships. If I dwell on the pain of the past I am not seeing the beauty of the present and the possibility of the future, and so as I go into this new year I find myself asking God for more faith and more hope and more courage to believe that good things can and will happen, even within and around the difficulties we face.
I add courage into that list because it's not easy at times to believe in hope and love and goodness. When we have lived a life that at times has shown us that people can do all kinds of things, it can be hard to believe that no matter what they may do we will always have an ally and friend to help us if we have the faith and presence of mind to keep doing what is right for our part. It can also be frightening to care and to love when we have lost and been hurt by loss of friendships, loved ones, romance, and things that we cared about and may still care about. How can we love in the face of fear that we may have what we love taken away from us? And that is where courage comes in, the courage to keep walking forward in faith, loving and caring and hoping and doing all that we can to do our best to do what is kind, and right and true.
As I prepare for the new year at YES Gallery, I'm excited for what has already happened there and I feel so much joy for the possibilities in the future. Someone who has visited the gallery several times before stopped in and told me how inspiring it is to walk by and wished me a happy new year, and a happy new year it will be, with the help of faith and hope and love and belief in God's goodness and grace.
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