Happy New Year, and as I am fond of saying “Happy New You.” The best thing about a new year is that it is the perfect time to renew ourselves. It is a baptism in time that re-sets the clock, forgives our sins, eases our woes, uplifts our despair, and sets a new course. We’ve been waiting on the new year; it’s here.
But the question remains,
what are we going to with it?

Part of us would like to sit back and ride the momentum of whatever is going on in the world, as though we don’t have to make a contribution. The new year is here, we can tell ourselves, so let it do whatever it is here to do: make our lives better. But the truth is that we are the ones who bring about change, progress and success. As my beloved teacher, the late Eric Butterworth once said, “Don’t ask what the future has in store for you. Instead, affirm what you have in store for the future.”

In order to determine what we will bring to 2021, we should be courageous enough to look back at 2020 and account for not only the butt-kicking it gave us but also to re-charge ourselves with how we were blessed. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, if we made it to 2021, we were blessed, and we can count our blessings.

When our Saturday Prayer Warriors began counting our blessings this morning, we had to extend our time because we had so much to be thankful for. Gratitude is a known catalyst for change, and it is boosts our immune system. I mourn those we lost, but I am grateful for those who survived. I am saddened about those who lost jobs but am grateful for those who have them, as well as for all of the new positions. I am saddened by our country’s failure to unite over the best safety, resources, protection, and security against the virus for everyone but am also grateful for a new administration. I wasn’t happy about staying in, but it allowed me to pay off debt. I also wrote several books, received several awards, created new webinars, and learned to master additional virtual tools. I lost friends and relatives, but I have learned to appreciate those alive.

Take a moment to pause and count your blessings.
What do you have to be grateful for?

How were you blessed in 2020?