Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!

Several of my friend and family members posted that wish on my Facebook page.  Really, when I was a kid, I thought that everyone celebrated New Year's just for me!  I was, of course, the famous baby of the family so why not have a special celebration? Childhood fantasies die quickly and painfully as we grow.  Hopefully, we can replace them with realistic dreams and a lifetime of grace and blessings upon which we should often reflect.

I think that it is a true blessing to have a New Year's Day birthday.  At a time when resolutions are made, I get the added incentive of turning another year older which has its own weight of yearly evaluations.  What will I do in my next year of life?  How will I improve myself?  How many more questions will I ask, how many will I answer?  How will I be blessed to help others?  What graces will I receive from the comments of followers of this blog?  Will my insights benefit me and others around me?

My faith dedicates this day to the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.  In our Gospel reading today, Luke 2: 16-21, we read that after the shepards told Mary of the angels' announcement of the birth of Jesus, "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."  I hope to keep this verse in mind as I blog my reflections of the next year.  I also hope to use this tool as a way to remember to keep my faith present in my everyday life.

This is a good place to begin my New Year and celebrate the gift of another year of life.  May God bless us all with His peace, grace and blessings this next year.  May God hear our prayers and help us find all we need.  May we all turn to God both in praise and in need.  He is our Light.  He is our Way.