Many people often start the New Year with resolutions, or goals to achieve in the upcoming months. However, more often than not, it becomes a common joke to see how quickly those goals are abandoned.
As I thought about how I wanted to start this year with these blog entries, I immediately thought of 2 very important people in my life and how this month of the year is significant! Those 2 people are my parents.
They were married on January 2, 1949 and before my Dad passed away from cancer in December 2003, they had been married almost 55 years. His birthday was on January 20, this year he would have been 98 years old. My dear Mother died on January 30, 6 years ago, at the age of 92.
In November 2017, I used this same picture and wrote about another person, Dr. Mark Bubeck who had passed that year. As it was around the time of Thanksgiving, I wrote of the importance of remembering our blessings with grateful hearts. Let me quote more from it, “It is … a good reminder to think about (on a regular basis not just on this one day), and to remember those men and women in our lives who have been very significant; those who have given us an example and inspiration of what is good and how to best pattern our own lives.
In I Samuel 7:12, we read that the prophet Samuel, took a stone and called it “Ebenezer” because “thus far the Lord has helped us”. Let us take time to pause and remember how “thus far the Lord has helped us”, and figuratively put up our own “Ebenezer” stone!
I truly thank God for the wonderful parents He gave me, and for all they taught me. I wanted Jesus to be my own personal Savior at the age of 7, because I wanted to love Jesus like my Mom and Dad did. They chose the life of being medical missionaries to India, instead of the wealthy lifestyle they could have had in the US. I spent 9.5 of my first 15 years in that country, which I grew to dearly love.
The ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ entry that I wrote on November (11/28/22), or the tributes to others I have written (11/28/17, 1/27/21, 12/15/22) are to honor and appreciate these people in my life, just some of the ones God has used to bless and encourage me.
What a wonderful focus to have this New Year – to lovingly thank, and/or honor the memory of those who have blessed our lives! May the Lord help us all to faithfully keep this New Year’s goal!!
With a grateful heart to you, my readers, I pray God’s blessings on you all!
