I look at the wonderful clock that my very grown daughter supplied for Christmas, 2024 and I smile at the thought of this child of mine--now in her 60’s. I nod to the calendar with my usual amazement: where DID the time go?
Yesterday she was in kindergarten. Today she’s retiring from the law firm where she “made” law with the power and energy of ten women who provided order out of chaos and healing energy to change the world.
I nod to God with the voice of gratitude that accompanies each moment of my life. Behind her is a younger version getting ready to challenge the world. Ahead of her is her male counterpart who is opening the door to a new understanding of old age.
I am so thankful that I am still working with the amazement my brain provides for me in each awakened moment. I didn't know the secrets and mystery of old age. But I am learning to crack open the door to a new inner voice that awakens my every morning.
The voice is a neutral version of a parental voice and God speaking directly to my heart and spirit. “What door will you open this morning? Where is your life and God leading you? What have you learned that will change your future? What will you share with those who follow you? “
And in the silence of the next moment, I feel God waiting to listen to my new voice, examining the past and pondering the future. God has become the messenger while the message proclaims the new openings and closings in my life.
What am I going to do with this unfolding new year? How will I proclaim God’s Presence in a new way? To whom shall I bring this latest message? It is time to pray with Heart and Spirit in Thanks-offering and Gratitude.
Gracious, Loving, Marvelous God!
We are creatures of our Creator. We grow in words and actions and in plans and revisions. We win, we lose. We try again. We learn from mistakes as we move ahead. We are surprised by God’s Presence and humbled by God’s Love.
We are made “new” in every new day. We shed our “skin” and say our thanks. We are new life in motion. Praise God. Amen.
For Reflection (either individually or with a group)
Read the blog. Read it a second time, maybe reading it aloud or asking someone else to read it aloud so you can hear it with different intonation and emphases. Invite the Divine to open your heart to allow the light of new understanding to pierce the shadows of embedded assumptions, stereotypes, and ways of thinking so that you may live more abundantly. Then spend some time with the following questions together with anything or anyone who helps you reflect more deeply.
- How are you most amazed by the passing of time?
- Where have you been surprised by God’s Presence??
- Do you believe you are, as the author says, a “New life in motion”? Why or why not?
Download a pdf including the Reflection Questions to share and discuss with friends, family, or members of your faith community small group.
