A Lixy Life

It's a New Year! It's a Happy Year. It's 2010 and it's going to be grand.

Now I don't know what this year is going to bring me--like really really no clue at all, one single bit, no idea kind of don't know.

I never thought I'd be starting a new year in a new country, yet here I am, in the last place I thought I'd be, not quite as accomplished as I'd hoped to be, not as strong, as wise, as beautiful, as "wow" as I could dream, and yet still happy. So I think of that and know that no matter where this year is going to take me, all the hopes and promises I might make and might break, the one thing I am taking with me the promise of happiness and that is found in this promise...

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, The challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth.

The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame.

I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you." May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

-- Author Unknown --

Christmas has come and gone, but all it stands for--family, friendship, giving, sharing, loving--remains, and it's my prayer that we never ever lose that for even one day of this coming year.

I heard the statement "It doesn't feel like Christmas time!" a lot this year, and half of it was probably me whinning soomewhere in my own head. But maybe that's what makes it time for Christmas--the ending of a long year, too much stress, a haywire household, too much to do, too little time to do it, low on finances, low on patience, losing hope. But isn't that where it all started? As the darkness sets a light appears, " a ray of hope, the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

Christmas is the setting, the dawning of the New Year! And so regardless of whether our Christmas is white, or green, or gray, and bright, or gloomy, or even messy, and whether we get all the gifts we had wanted or not, we will always have the greatest gift and setting of all...A NEW YEAR and a FRESH BEGINNING and CHANCE to spend time with family, make new friends, give what we have to make our dreams come true, share our time, moments, experiences and love with a world full of opportunities and love living!

So that's my wish, my hope, my prayer for you all who I love and care for so dearly. I pray that God will give you these opportunities and then help you see them all around you and take them and claim them as your own so you will truly have a Merry Christmas every day and a Happy New Year all year!

And by the way, I had a lovely Christmas despite it being less white and more gray, and less frosty and more sloppy. I spent it with all my family, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins and there is nothing else in the world that could have taken the place of that. Check out all the pictures at A Family Christmas.

THERE will be a blue moon on Thursday as New Year's Eve revellers welcome in 2010--the first time since 1990 that a blue moon has coincided with the end of the year. A blue moon--the second full moon in a calendar month--happens only every 2½ years on average. This month, full moons occur on December 2 and December 31. Astronomer David Reneke from Australasian Science magazine said it was rare for the event to happen on New Year's Eve--another blue moon will not fall on the last day of the year until 2028. "While everyone's celebrating they should also take a moment and look up into the night sky"

1. Flying Alarm Clock. Evil genius at work here. A propeller-thingy on top goes flying away and the alarm won't stop until you find the propeller-thingy and put it back on the clock.

2. Puzzle Alarm Clock--That's right, put the puzzle together and the darned thing will quit buzzing at you.

3. Bombs Away! Plug in the wires correctly or the sound of a bomb blowing up will wake you. And the neighbors.

4. Donate. For those financially motivated folks, this wi-fi enabled clock takes money out of your bank account and transfers it to random charities every time you hit the snooze button.

5. Shag-a-licious--Yup, you have to stand up on the carpet to get this one to be quiet.

So, rise and shine to another beautiful day.