Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
If you've followed recent posts, you know that our family has been in state of shock, sorrow, and suffering since before Christmas. Despite that, though, life goes on. And so it's a New Year.
While 2019 has come to us like no other year in our lives, I can tell you that our family history - as recounted by my beloved parents - contains incidents of extreme sorrow and suffering. I remember these and it puts our current circumstances in perspective.
The other thing that goes on in addition to the world around us is our own lives. While we give extraordinary time and attention to our son, each of us has duties appropriate to our state of life. We can't neglect them. And so we will gather our minds and bodies and perform our duties, meeting our obligations with the appropriate diligence.
In my own case, this means attention to markets and an effort to manage our way through the wild swings we've already witnessed and those we expect will come in 2019.
In the midst of it all, we offer these efforts for God's greater glory. That just goes without saying.
What's your situation on this New Year's? Is is just another New Year like so many others? Or do you have special circumstances and challenges that will make this New Year's stand out, as does ours? (Perhaps you're one of those who has to work on what for most of us is a holiday. One of our sons, a police officer, will be working. If you are too, know that many others work beside you.)
Whatever your situation, in the spirit of the day, I offer some thoughts regarding expectations for the New Year. We begin with the practical - important but not most important - and proceed from there.
As for expectations, consider a modest approach: Will my business grow? Maybe. Will my investments grow? That would be nice, but, markets being what they are, don't hold your breath. Will I get into better shape? Well, that one's up for grabs for sure. Slice out a chunk of the day and get down to some serious training and your chances improve. How about my soul, my spiritual life? Frankly, that's really the most important of all. If you can slice out a chunk of time for exercise, surely you can do the same for God, right? If you're not doing that, try it. Start with maybe 5 minutes. Work your way up to an hour every day. You can pray, meditate, study your Faith, read the Bible, maybe some solid spiritual works. The possibilities are, as they say, endless. And the reward? Think about it.
Maybe, over time, with some effort, you'll make progress. Just remember that life has its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, good and bad times. We all want the good to outweigh the bad, but if you've lived long enough you know that's not always how it goes.
I hope the New Year brings you peace and stability in your life. As for wealth, health, happiness, and all that, sure. But with peace and stability you can handle whatever 2019 might dish out.
If you've followed recent posts, you know that our family has been in state of shock, sorrow, and suffering since before Christmas. Despite that, though, life goes on. And so it's a New Year.
While 2019 has come to us like no other year in our lives, I can tell you that our family history - as recounted by my beloved parents - contains incidents of extreme sorrow and suffering. I remember these and it puts our current circumstances in perspective.
The other thing that goes on in addition to the world around us is our own lives. While we give extraordinary time and attention to our son, each of us has duties appropriate to our state of life. We can't neglect them. And so we will gather our minds and bodies and perform our duties, meeting our obligations with the appropriate diligence.
In my own case, this means attention to markets and an effort to manage our way through the wild swings we've already witnessed and those we expect will come in 2019.
In the midst of it all, we offer these efforts for God's greater glory. That just goes without saying.
What's your situation on this New Year's? Is is just another New Year like so many others? Or do you have special circumstances and challenges that will make this New Year's stand out, as does ours? (Perhaps you're one of those who has to work on what for most of us is a holiday. One of our sons, a police officer, will be working. If you are too, know that many others work beside you.)
Whatever your situation, in the spirit of the day, I offer some thoughts regarding expectations for the New Year. We begin with the practical - important but not most important - and proceed from there.
As for expectations, consider a modest approach: Will my business grow? Maybe. Will my investments grow? That would be nice, but, markets being what they are, don't hold your breath. Will I get into better shape? Well, that one's up for grabs for sure. Slice out a chunk of the day and get down to some serious training and your chances improve. How about my soul, my spiritual life? Frankly, that's really the most important of all. If you can slice out a chunk of time for exercise, surely you can do the same for God, right? If you're not doing that, try it. Start with maybe 5 minutes. Work your way up to an hour every day. You can pray, meditate, study your Faith, read the Bible, maybe some solid spiritual works. The possibilities are, as they say, endless. And the reward? Think about it.
Maybe, over time, with some effort, you'll make progress. Just remember that life has its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, good and bad times. We all want the good to outweigh the bad, but if you've lived long enough you know that's not always how it goes.
I hope the New Year brings you peace and stability in your life. As for wealth, health, happiness, and all that, sure. But with peace and stability you can handle whatever 2019 might dish out.
Happy New Year!
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