Happy New Year!

I stayed up until Midnight with my husband to see the hoopla in New York, blowing a kiss across the room at the appropriate moment. Long passed are the days we partied on New Year's Eve. It didn't seem like January with temperatures in the 50s and a thunderstorm (with hail!) having gone through just a couple of hours before the year ended.

He watched the Chicago Bears game on TV last night (which we will not mention to him this morning or my bear will start growling). I spent the evening online, having the time to read some blogs and websites leisurely rather than running through Bloglines. As I was reading, I realised once again what a blessing the Internet can be to bring people of like minds together, to make us realize we really are not alone (to badly quote C.S. Lewis).

I have had some New Year's Eve nights when I said a hearty good riddance to the past year. This was not one of them. Although my family experienced major challenges, overall it was a good year. Challenges will be with us until we reach the perfection of Eternity. However, we came through them and ended the year closer to the One who made us and much to be thankful for as well.

My husband and I were discussing last night that it seemed impossible to be 2007. Well, discussing is too strong a word for both of us were quite sleepy (and one of us was quite unhappy over his beloved Bear's performance). I'd say we were...making comments to each other. A good part of being married over thirty years is that we can talk in verbal shorthand.

One of the things I've been pondering over the past few weeks, knowing we were nearing the end of another year was...I want to finish well. I don't want the bumps and bruises that come with reaching late middle age to negate the wonders of walking with Christ since my teenage years and the beauty that can be found in Life. I want to be that little old lady that is soft and sweet and people remark that "she's had a hard life but look at Christ in her".

Through the years, I've known such women. I think of a dear woman we knew when we lived in Iowa, one who we were told had lived through extremely difficult circumstances. She was the grandmother of one of the families in the church and one of the sweetest people I have met. My daughter and I will still comment about her at times. I've known other women who have reached advanced ages, bitter and full of regrets. Not having any more difficult life than her but who let themselves get hardened in adversity and disappointments. I want to finish strong, having become the person He intended all along. I want not only to finish, to "just make Heaven". I want to finish well.