A year ago at this time I found myself reading and hearing a lot of people emotionally drop-kicking 2010 to the curb. “Good riddance!” they all said. “What a sorry year! Here’s hoping 2011 will be better.”
I haven’t checked yet this year. Who knows? Maybe that’s what you’re supposed to say so that the first of January feels even more exciting and hopeful. I just found myself really surprised by all that for some reason.
Don’t get me wrong. I saw plenty of reasons to howl at the moon about how awful things were. But I also plenty of other reasons to look back with gratitude and – dare I say it? – satisfaction.
I decided to be more proactive this year. Believing that 2012 is going to be an extraordinary year, I spent a little time looking back at the past 12 months and sharing a few lists of things that helped shape my heart and my world.
But first, let me tell you a very quick story that captures the essence of this year for me. A few months ago I was out driving in the middle of nowhere on a fall West Texas day. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon. Just off the highway, to the right, I saw three does feeding. I was surprised to see them out this early, but enjoyed the scene.
A couple of miles ahead, this time on the left, a saw a deer’s backside pointed at me as it was grazing beside the road. “Oh,” I thought, “another doe.” Raising its head, this is what I saw: [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }