Goodbye 2007

Today is New Year's Eve, and all over the world people are getting ready to do anything from getting ridiculously drunk to staying at home to going to a classy party to dancing in Times Square...I'm sure the list goes on. Tomorrow they'll eat a meal with their families or try to sleep off their hangovers. THEN the day after that, they will begin: the resolution(s). That is what I want to write about--my resolution or lack thereof, or maybe something in between.

I was thinking about the infamous New Year's Resolution last night. Typically, it's to lose weight. It seems people stuff themselves all through the holidays to burn it off in January. That's not my idea of fun, though the weight loss commercials do amuse me. I guess what I don't get is, "Why? Why is January 1st so special?" What is so magical about a new year? I actually will have the same issues and dilemmas that I had on December 31 at midnight tonight.

I guess it's like a fresh page for some, but I still don't understand why. Why...and this is so cliche'...but why can't everyday be New Year's? Ha, but seriously, is it not already? It's a new day. The saying "time heals all wounds" is the biggest lie. It's equal to "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Fact is, time heals nothing and words do hurt. It's not time that heals but what you do in that time. Forgive, love, think before you speak. These are all things I need to do.

So if I want to "resolve" to do something, it would be those things. I want to be more gracious. I'm not so much at the moment. I always tend to think the worst of people. For example, I sat in church yesterday just like the rest of "the common people," if you will. I wasn't singing. I didn't get there early...it was just that. So there is this lady sitting in front of me, and to be honest, she drove me nuts. She had this goofy straw hat that I thought seemed more appropriate for a day at the lake in the summer rather than the cold, rainy day we had yesterday. She kept jumping up and down and going, "WOOO! Come on Jesus!" She was so excited, and it annoyed the heck out of me. She was clapping to a song that I thought DIDN'T need to be clapped to, and to top that off, she was off rhythm--terribly. We had a special guest yesterday who talked about how God was going to purposefully place people to offend us. Ha, was He?! Well done, God. Anyway, it was a really great message that touched my heart, but that lady still got on my nerves.

When service ended, people were leaving, she had turned around to face me and she said, "OH it's you! I can't believe I didn't recognize you, but I do now. I just want to tell you that I appreciate you getting up there to sing every week. You have no idea what it means to me. You have let out some notes that made me feel the Lord when I really needed to. Thank you, thank you, thank you." I was actually crying at the moment because of what she said, and unbeknown by her, the way I had judged. So that is why I lay awake thinking about what I want to do, what I want to be. Kind, full of love, and grace...like a Christian. We all know we're supposed to "love our neighbor as ourself," but very few of us have it down. I know I'm the least.