A Year in Review

New Year’s Eve day…some people are getting ready to party tonight, some are thinking about the past year, some are making New Year’s resolutions. I’m doing all three.

I think about what a whirlwind year it was. We dealt with a lot of illness in the family. A lot of trips out of state to help with family members dealing with illness. Lots of work. Crazy calendars. “To do” lists that were pages long where only the top 3 items would get done each day. So many times, life seemed “out of control” – crashing down on us all at once. Many times it seemed to be too much to humanly handle.

As I look back, I realize that all of these overwhelming situations were, in fact, too much to humanly handle. We simply could not do it alone. We simply cannot do it alone. We can try, but it gets to be too much.

Patiently and persistently, God shows me that I don’t need to do it alone. I am not alone. He is here with me. He is here with each of us. We just need to trust Him.

And trust is so difficult. In fact, I am remarkably bad at trusting God, which is why, I think, He gives me so many opportunities to try and try again.

And, I’m really glad for these opportunities because every time I do let go and trust, amazing things happen. Amazing.

Amisdst the hardships of the year, there were amazing, incredible blessings – overwhelming, flowing-over blessings. And, every time they shone through, it was when I finally let go of control. At all those times, when I really could not humanly struggle any more, I saw what God was trying to do for me. And, when I let go and let Him take over, every single time, the results were beyond my wildest dreams.

Pope Francis, in his wisdom, reminds us, “If we can realize that everything is God’s gift, how happy will our hearts be! Everything is his gift. He is our strength!”

So, my resolutions this year are to try to recognize His blessings in all things, each day and to “let go and let God” – as much as I can, in every moment. To trust that He’s got it. To trust that He’s got me. I accept the abundance He is continually offering me. I accept His constant and unwavering love. And, I look forward to seeing what He’s got in store for the coming year!