Life Lesson #111 ~ Star Light, Star Bright

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish, I wish tonight. We'll make a wish, and do as dreamers do, and all our wishes (all our wishes), will come true."  ~ Wishes

Like you, our new year began with ushering out the old one. We gathered with friends and family at our home celebrating the New Year. It's become a tradition of sorts, gathering together laughing, playing games, sharing stories and watching the fireworks. My best friends and I have known each other for over 20 years and our kids have grown up together. Our children, now grown have celebrated milestones together and graduated together. Looking back it's hard to believe for two decades our families have seen one another through 20 years of adventures. And again we have said goodbye to yet another year and hello to 2017 together.  So now after a 12 month long journey 2016 has come to a close. But with the new year's arrival 365 new opportunities are just beginning. 

How do you start the new year? Every year at the stroke of midnight I hug my kids and my folks, kiss my hubby passionately which of course embarrasses our boys and then I make a wish just before the clock strikes 12:01 AM. I also say a prayer for the new year. I ask God to make me stronger than the last, braver and kinder than I've ever been before, to be unstoppable when possible and always fierce and passionate with every new page I write. What does all that mean? Well, it doesn't always include smooth sailing that's for sure! It means life lessons, ups, downs and adventures big and small. Life is not a guarantee of happiness however it is a promise of possibilities. Jiminy Cricket sings nightly during Wishes, telling us, "Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star, your dreams...come...true." And I do believe if you not only wish but work hard those dreams can become a reality. With the beginning of 2017 already a few days old, now is the moment to start cultivating, nurturing and developing our hopes and our dreams for this year. With a whole new chapter in front of us full of unwritten pages it's time to begin filling them in don't you think" Maybe to start working toward making those wishes of ours a reality? I like to think of it this way, "2017 will be a better chapter for you if you...Think positive, let go of the past mistakes, make new friends, and stay away from toxic people. Use your talents. Don't hold back, do good deeds, speak up for yourself and know your worth." This is a good little dose of truth we all should not only let sink in but sip on steadily.

I don't know about you but I have a fairly busy year planned so far and it's still just January. Work, yes there will be plenty of that along with paying the bills. Blue prints and refurbishing the house is up for discussion. Business opportunities are a plus in the new year. Family, friends and time well spent together is a definite. Micah's graduation is on the horizon. Vacation and play time is already blocked off on the calendar and pursuing our dreams together as a family is completely nonnegotiable. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out." This is a promise and one I cling to. Anything we do, any plans we make or steps we take to get there we don't just do for ourselves but in honor of our Father. He is our guiding compass, He directs and navigates the bumpy roads ahead of us. Any accomplishments are a direct result of His design, forethought and groundwork. The authenticity of my life, my reality and my personal truth is I am nothing without the Lord. Anything I become or have sought to become comes from one source...Jesus Christ. All my aspirations, hopes, dreams and wishes are all rooted in His ability to oversee my success. 

Life Lesson #111 ~ Star Light, Star Bright... 2017 is just the beginning my friends. C.S. Lewis said it best, "There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." And as wonderful, as painful, as joyful and as sad as 2016 was I'm ready for 2017. My resolution, well it's to live a little more in the moment. The past no longer has any hold on me. There's nothing to see there, to regret or even to fear. The last year, every bit of 2016 and the ones before it are only a place of reference, not my residence any longer. The past is behind us, the new year is not just a new chapter with new possibilities it's filled with 365 new days with new beginnings. Close the last chapter, don't reopen it, don't re-read it or flip through it for any reason. Just remember anyone can speak of your past, but if they aren't a part of your present, moving with you into the future they are only replaying and rewinding scenes of a junction long forgotten. If they keep speaking only of days gone by, retelling a story long over and gone, detoured and rewritten, forgotten and unrecognizable all you can do is turn the page and move on. Our lives, our dreams, our hopes and our wishes are never insignificant but they are movable, interchangeable. And yes they are the foundation of all our future possibilities, where our personal magic develops. As Jiminy Cricket again says during Wishes, "You see, its just like I told ya. Wishes can come true, if you believe in them with all your heart.And the best part is, you'll never run out of wishes. They're shining deep down inside of you.'Cause that my friends is where the magic lives."

So let 2017 begin, let it rise up, light up the sky and lead us ever forward,"but first, champagne." Now go grab your beans, cabbage, ham and cornbread. Happy New Year ya'll!

~ Christina