Something New

Year 6 - Day 212: Today, I am grateful for something new. 

There is something soul refeshing about a new thing.

New day planners.
New pencils.
New jars of peanut butter.
New jobs.
New neighbors.
New cookie sheets.
New cars.
New pajamas.
A new marriage.

Yesterday, in a place far away, one of the most special men in my life said "I do" again. He had already loved the "until death do us part" kind of love and lived through the loss. There are no words for that kind of loss... only sorrow and tears. There is no way to measure the heaviness of the burden. You can't go around grief... you have to go through it. 

It takes great courage to love again with a whole heart. Fear would say "hold something back", but love always wins. God keeps his promises. "Joy comes in the morning." 

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5

There is a special joy that comes with new beginnings. New beginnings are full of hope and promise. They are a call for celebration. "Today, is the first day of the rest of your life." Yes, the saying is old, but the truth is big. We can't let what has gone wrong or been hard in the past steal from today's goodness, promise and new opportunities. 

Honestly, I think the new thing that matters most to our Lord, is that we wake up each new day determined to passionately love again, as if today would be our last day. To share His love and to love others, with the kind of love, grace and forgiveness he grants us with each new morning. 

I am so happy for this new marriage. For the gift of new promises made in a covenant before God... joining two families together in a new beginning... I find words of thanksgiving are not quite enough. We have to feel the gratitude. Live in the moment. Dance the hula (way to go Blake). 

When we honor God with our lives, he can take the broken pieces and make new beginnings. Something sweet. Something beautiful. Something new. 

Congratulations, Todd & Sarah. We love your special lady... now your wife. Our hearts are with you.

Today, I am grateful for something new.