Waiting for the Ball to Drop




It's New Year's Eve, and my puppy Jack and I are waiting for the ball to drop. We are more than ready for a New Year.

2012 was a year of many losses for me following the Nashville Flood of 2010 in May and then my washing machine hose breaking in October 2010. After the massive water damage, seeing my house gutted, living in a tiny room at the Microtel for 9 months with a sick dog, having to pay for mold remediation and other repairs out of pocket, then having Landmark Construction cash their check and not finish the work, I lost my precious dog and faithful companion of 17 years, my dear little Miss Katy. Then I received so many damaged possessions back from the ServiceMaster in Nashville which did such a negligent job of packing out and storing my goods, it was just one devastating loss after another throughout 2012.

But 2012 was also the year I got my little dog Jack (who looks very sleepy in this photo), started a new job at Sears, got to be an extra on "Nashville" several times, qualified for a clinical study of high blood pressure and got all my tests and medications for free, got to be part of the Koinonia Family Reunion, and began trying to put my life back together. I am praying these new beginnings have paved the way for a happier 2013.

However, I am also trying to learn to "give thanks in all circumstances." It's a hard lesson, and I am not learning it very quickly. But I am thankful for my blessings and hope to focus on them more in the New Year.

Dr. Robert Emmons is a leading psychologist who studies gratitude and is the author of The Psychology of Gratitude. He says being grateful increases your chances of being successful in work, love and life.

The Bible puts it another way:

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

So while Jack and I wait for the ball to drop to usher in a New Year, I am going to concentrate on being grateful for my blessings... but I am still hoping for a better 2013! 

Happy New Year to my friends and readers.

Excerpt from: Waiting for the Ball to Drop: 2012 Year End Thoughts

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