New Beginnings

 

“If winter comes, can spring be far behind.” Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

Today is a day of new beginnings.  A new President and Vice President have been installed.  No matter how you voted in November, the United States has successfully transitioned to a new administration.  As Christians it’s important to pray for the Biden administration and all government leaders. That should be our priority.  Even though the atmosphere in Washington is not what I had anticipated, God’s in charge and control.

This week we kicked off a new year of Word Weavers. We are in a new location with new leadership.  This critique group has been immensely helpful to me in editing Charles’ book. Chasing a Whirlwind.  We have written the last chapter and epilogue and now begins the long editing process before we submit it for publication. We should have a book in hand this spring.

Charles took his first Moderna Covid 19 vaccine last week.  The second will come in February. I was not able to take the vaccine because of past problems with vaccines.  Everyone hopes 2021 will see a real slowdown to the corona virus.  That would be a real new beginning indeed.

We will finally be getting our house repaired from the water damage last October. New flooring in our laundry room and master bath will fix the problem. Sheetrock needs replacing in the downstairs bathroom. Leftover insurance money will be used for a couple of other projects. We will be dealing with contractors for the next few weeks.

Charles and I have been asked to become the lead teachers for our Life Group Bible Study Class.  Our last regular teaching duty was almost ten years ago, and we are a tad rusty.  But as we team teach, we will encourage each other in prayer and with ideas on how to present each lesson.  For the next few months, we will be studying the Gospel of Luke.

The beginning I like best this time of year is the longer days and shorter nights.  It’s been almost a month since the shortest day of the year, and each day has more sunlight.  I thrive in the late winter and early spring and anticipate the first blooms on the fruit trees.  The tulips emerging from their cold nap in my planters on the back deck are also a first sign.  Our pansies out front are happily blooming and brighten up a cloudy day.

  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).