Happy New Year!! I really like New Year’s Day, complete with the grogginess that follows a night of staying up too late, noshing on rich tidbits and sipping champagne. I especially like watching the Rose Bowl Parade (all those flowers!), cheering through an afternoon of college football and eating black-eyed peas.
I really, REALLY like naming the New Year, a reflection I began a few years ago.
There is a common practice of “Naming the New Year”. This name serves as a focal point to direct our days, weave our weeks together and attach month to blessed month. Just as a North Star, or the straight arrow of a compass will redirect the lost, weary and confused, so our word for the year can gently lead us back on the path we have set out for ourselves. All steps are directed by God the Father, but the way in which we choose to walk is up to us. (From Jenny at Plain Grace.)
The coming year is going to be challenging for my family and me – I’ll be starting a full course of adjuvant chemotherapy to [hopefully] prevent a recurrence of the leiomyosarcoma. Despite the enormous task of “getting Mom well” ahead of us, our year is brimming over with the promise of good things! Cherry Ames graduates from college and will start working as a registered nurse; The Architect will embark upon his senior year in high school; Princess Pea will move forward in her studies as well, and DirtBike will learn how to drive the family car. Mr. Pea and I are going to take a post-chemo trip to Europe, something we have wanted to do for more than twenty years.
So many blessings, such an abundance of Grace. Every occasion is a call to rejoice in the beautiful-ness that is our life together. And with that, I choose to name my year…
For despite my fear that cancer will kick my butt no matter how hard I fight, despite my concerns for my husband and my kids as they step up to take care of me, despite all the other stuff scrambling for attention in my brain, life is good. And it’s not just the special occasions like graduating from college, or taking on a mountain bike race, or going on a long awaited very special trip. It’s the plain vanilla regular every day routine of work, school, play and church that is so wonderfully sweet, so amazingly precious. We have friends who love us and we eat and live indoors. We have health insurance!
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! ~Psalms 118:24
I’m going to be bald, exhausted and most likely crabby for many months…but I will Rejoice every day, and be glad.
Rejoice, my friends, Rejoice. Keep the Faith
Keeping the Faith 
That is the most awesome name for a year. I would love to name our year too but haven’t a clue as to what because as much blessings we’ll be having I expect a lot of pain too. I can’t predict the future but have some feelings about this upcoming year and they are scary. Sorta like yours but different.
Rejoice and awesome!
Blessing my dear friend!
I say open the can of whoop-a$$ and beat cancer’s butt right back!
Praying for you.
And yes – Freezer Meals.
Please contact The Hat Box and they will send you crocheted hats. I did that for my friend Katie and she loved them. http://www.hatboxfoundation.org
Let’s do coffee soon.
xx oo
May God bless you during this year and always. Your courage and strength are truly an inspiration.
Angela…your post brought tears to by eyes…you are so *full of grace* and accepting of God’s Will moment by moment and rejoicing in the *little things*. My oldest son is finally done nursing school in March then out into the real world : )
I apologize, I deleted your comment on my blog by accident. I wanted to thank you for your very thoughtful words…they put a smile on my face. Don’t worry about commenting again…just wanted to let you know I received it.
Here is to much joy in the New Year my friend.
What a great word Angela! Yes, life is good, even when it’s hard and scary. Know that you are not alone.
Rejoicing, even when life stinks!! My dear friend who lost her husband this year decided to have a joy jar. Every day, no matter what, she wrote down something that gave her joy that day. Some days she had to look hard, but she made sure to have an entry every day.
And a trip to Europe, how amazing!! Dont put it off!! Enjoy!! Rejoice!!1