“Faith is stepping out into the unknown with nothing to guide us but a hand just beyond our grasp.”

Frederick Buechner

2024! Do you feel a mixture of trepidation, anticipation and hope like I do? There will be moments ahead when our hearts will clutch in fear for those we deeply love. Uncertainty is always lurking but faith will carry us through. With light in our eyes and hope leading our steps, let us rise courageously when necessary, leave people better for having crossed our path, and chase joy! God has marvelous things in store.

I’ve become disenchanted with resolutions. They are short-lived. There is this pressure to make some grand gesture. I am more interested in ways to infuse my days with more meaning and purpose.

Annie Dillard proclaimed, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

I have discovered a secret—the magic is hidden in plain sight. Who knew the ordinary and mundane could be so grand—so sacred? Quiet runs in the woods, my afternoon cup of tea in my Hallelujah pottery mug, and the daily blessing as my kids hop out of the car: Thank you for another day to live and love on this planet. Please help us to do something today that makes the day count for good. It is lighting a candle and whispering a prayer to draw closer to the Mystery. It is cutting mint in the garden and arranging it in a bud vase on my kitchen counter. It’s making love offerings of soup and muffins to friends or someone I know needs a lift. It’s the delicious peace of an evening bath. It’s holding my husband’s hand as I drift off to sleep. It’s the creative spark that let’s me put pen to paper with a word of hope. It’s listening to beautiful music, a conversation with my mom or dear friend. Laughing, dancing, weeping, adventuring—this is how I want to order my days. Make them sacred.

I went to a funeral over Christmas. In the eulogy, the priest said the gentleman lived every day with passion and intention. He repeated those two words (passion and intention) three times so it would sink deep. Jesus was a master of passion and intention. He opened his arms and heart wide to experience the fullness of this wild and holy human adventure. More importantly, he lived a life that mattered!

May the hope within us be potent this year!