Gratitude Day 889

Lamentations 3:22-24: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Spring: it’s a season of new beginnings.

A couple weeks ago, we saw baby ducks at the park. This week, I saw a pair of ducks swimming with their half-grown babies in the water. One parent leading the way and the second parent bringing up the rear, with all the babies in-between.

What a wonderful sight. Parents watching over their little ones.

One the way home one day this week, a doe scooted across the road and into the ditch, with her relatively new fawn following close behind. He (or she) certainly did not want to lose his mama.

I was at a relatively major intersection yesterday and traffic was held up. Two adult geese were shepherding their babies right through the intersection. Thankfully, people were patient and let everyone cross safely.

These are all new beginnings. Signs of new life, new adventures and discovering something new, nearly every day.

New beginnings can happen throughout life; not just when you are a baby. Last night, Hubby Rick and I experienced a new beginning. One of our grandkids graduated from high school.

As school was about to begin last fall, Waylan shared with us that he planned to graduate a year early from high school. In conversation with his teachers, they felt he could graduate early if he took a couple extra classes online. Waylan and his parents requested for his early graduation to be approved.

And it was.

At different times throughout the school year, we’ve checked in with Waylan and his plans for after high school. He’s enrolled in a two-year technical school and actually will be taking a couple online classes this summer to get a jump start.

We couldn’t be prouder.

On Thursday, Hubby Rick and I had lunch with Waylan, to chat about upcoming things. He mentioned that on Friday morning, he was participating in the school “walk through,” where graduation seniors walk through all the schools in the district. It’s a chance for them to see their teachers from earlier in their education and also encourage the younger kids to aspire to graduate high school as well.

As it turned out, I had planned to volunteer at one of the elementary schools on Friday morning. I help in the kindergarten class. The graduates came down this hallway last. My heart swelled as I saw Waylan walking at the front of the graduating senior pack, with a big smile on his face, waving to the kids and teachers. It was absolutely precious to see him so excited about the day and his accomplishment of completing high school.

This is a new beginning for Waylan, and all the other people who are graduating this spring. Whether it’s high school, tech school, college, an advanced degree or a trade school, what happens after graduation is an opportunity for people to shift gears. Begin something new. Explore new opportunities. Discover something new about themselves. Look at life from a slightly different perspective and embrace all of life that lies in front of them.

It is refreshing to see these new beginnings. Whether it’s baby ducks or kids decorating their mortarboard with things that are important to them, these transitions offer countless opportunities. Yes, it might be scary. But they are also filled with endless possibilities.

Here’s the deal. We don’t have to earn a diploma to have a new beginning. Benchmark events aren’t the only time we can shift and do something different. In fact, we should adjust and discover new things throughout our lives. Our own imagination and boundaries are the most profound limits in our lives.

Yes, mistakes will be made. Yes, we may have to go back and undo or redo something. We might even make a choice that we wished we hadn’t. There will be times in our lives when new beginnings may be forced upon us and we don’t want this new beginning.

New beginnings. They can be exciting. Scary. Overwhelming. Long desired. Yet, with each new beginning, God will be with us. God’s faithfulness is never ending. God is excited to be with us. Every. Step. Of. The. Way.

Sometimes, there comes a time in our lives when new beginnings just doesn’t sound very exciting. Change feels like a four-letter word that we simply do not want. And yet, maybe we do need new beginnings. New opportunities to appreciate our lives, the world, our ability to make a difference.

Can I challenge you to think of one small new beginning you can take today? This weekend? This week? Maybe it’s a small slight shift. It doesn’t have to be going back to school or moving to a new city.

Maybe it’s connecting with someone every day that you haven’t touched base with in awhile.

How about accepting the opportunity to serve weekly in some meaningful way?

Could you put a bit more effort into simplifying your living space and getting rid of those things you’ve been wanting to tackle for awhile?

Commit to pray every single day. Seriously.

Challenge yourself to embrace a trait you struggle with: patience, kindness, being less judgmental, forgiveness.

Embrace the opportunity to mentor someone or provide a listening ear purely for the purpose of listening and nothing else.

Remember those parent ducks, doe and geese? They carefully guarded their young and kept them safe. But there will come a day when they scoot them out of their nest. Let them go out on their own. Watch them grow up and become something special.

We never stop being special in God’s eyes. God will always be present, ready to catch us when we fall. That’s the guaranteed faithfulness. Our job is just to accept it, especially in new beginnings.

For God’s never ending faithfulness, especially in new beginnings, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Loving God – New beginnings can be exciting and terrifying all at the same time. May I be assured that in every new opportunity, You are with me. I don’t have to be afraid because Your faithfulness is never ending. Help me embrace some new small beginning in my life right now. Amen.

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