Happy 2006!!!

12/23/05

dear friends,

I'm sitting here by the toasty fire at home…trying to write Christmas cards to all my friends! I just threw another log on the fire, so it is blazing away right now. a cup of freshly brewed chamomile tea sits beside me…

as I try to write Christmas greetings…all sorts of thoughts flood my head. thoughts of happy times and sad times. encouragements and aggravations. deep conversations and awkward ones. late nights in the stair well and early mornings at the coffee shop.

all these friends that I seek to express my love to through these gifts and cards, they've all been with me through a part of my life…they've stuck by me…we've been through hell and high water. but I really am speechless when I try to sum it all up in an end-of-the-year missive.

if I were to accurately recount the entire happenings of this last year, it would fill a 300-page volume. a summation of the main points alone would require extra postage in a letter! and something brief enough to fit cliché would make no sense whatsoever.


so, that’s not what I’m doing here. if you want to know where I’ve been and what I’ve done, call me…we’ll talk! =} I’m not even here to bare my soul to the world in an exposition of my spiritual journey over the last 12 months. again, that would be too unwieldy for the cliché!


what I do want to do is to share my current outlook on life. perspectives change. lives change direction. visions will morph. and mine is no exception. this is no cliché. as the song goes:

“We live, we love,
We forgive, and never give up,
Cause the days we are given
Are gifts from above!
And today we remember
To live and to love.”
- Superchic(k)

yes. I would have to say that. this year, I’ve lived, I’ve loved…and through it all I’ve discovered that every moment is, overall, no more than a gift from above that ought not be squandered.

I recently discovered what I believe to be the new motto for my life, for the next year at least! sitting in the coffee shop, reading and writing (if that’s not cliché, I’m not sure what is!) I came across in my Bible a passage from Philippians which talks about attitude toward life. The writer sarcastically says that if you’re perfect, keep on with it, you can’t get any better! On the other hand, for those of us who live in the real world, with real problems, and real crap being flung in our face everyday…for those, look to Jesus Christ. Not that we can really do anything to change it, but in seeking Him and his glory, what will change us is the “exertion of the power that He has”. If you want to be authentic, that’s “kata ten energaian tou dunasthai auton” “by the exertion of the power that he has”…yeah.


some of you I know from work. some I’ve met socially. some of you I haven’t even had any contact with in this last year! but then there are those who I have had the amazing privilege of knowing personally, and well. Those are the moments, no matter how cliché, which I will never forget: spending time with each of you and getting to know you and having you become part of my life. my most genuine thanks to you. I will never forget you. how could i? you all have been part of my life…thanks…

if I had this year to live over again, there are very few things that I would choose to do differently. without dwelling in the past, I know I could have made a few choices better. Yet, in spite of those things, I do not regret where I am today. I have come to a point of resolution where, learning from the past, I resolve to live in the present, ever mindful of the future.

If I had to sum it up, I would have to say that it has been a year of learning, and not all learning the easy way. I’ve sat under teaching in the classroom. I’ve studied some on my own for more academic knowledge. I’ve learned a lot in the school of hard knocks along the lines of living and relationships. I’ve learned a lot about the world I live in and how much I need to be aware of my surroundings. I’ve learned much from family, how important they are, how they will always be there for me as a part of my life, how much I have and do take them for granted. I’ve learned that life can be a bit challenging, and in order to truly be effective living it, one must not only roll with the punches, but more importantly, train, so that one can throw a few punches back at it.

so, here’s to this next year. here’s to pressing forward. to new visions and renewed determination. here’s to living. and loving. here’s to no regrets…and ever being willing to change.

john



p.s. in other news: (i.e. I’m eating my own words here, but I’ll go ahead and give a practical update!)
I began this year recovering from knee surgery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I had my ACL replaced. Then it was off to school at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, Michigan. Saying I loved my time there would be a gross understatement, so I spent my summer in Omaha, Nebraska, living with a buddy and working to pay for the coming months of school. I eagerly returned to Jackson for my second semester, but after two weeks of classes, saw the need to step out of school to address some issues in my life that had been brewing for some time, foremost of which is paying off some significant medical bills that fell to my lot to pay. This fall, then, I spent back at home in Tulsa, looking for employment, spending time with family and friends, and taking some time to catch up with and learn from my dad. I am currently working for UPS part time, seeking further employment, putting as much effort as possible into getting the medical bills taken care of, but primarily continuing to seek the Lord as to His best for me at every given moment. I sincerely thank Jesus for being there for me.