This is the year that the Lord has made

we will rejoice and be glad in it! i am blessed that hymns like this ring in my head while i do mundane chores. since i teach little ones, my work day is filled with silly songs that replay in my mind on my "off" time. i have been known to sing a song about the seven continents while doing dishes. truly this is a blessing. i think back to the gospels that the slaves sang to get them through the horrendous torture of their lives. Sojourner Truth, called the Moses of her people, took to walking barefoot across the country to escape her oppressors. imagine if we could have that courage to overpower the oppression of addiction. now that i am freed from the power of the wine bottle, i am overwhelmed with the possibilities of today. instead of pushing myself out of bed too early to prove that i could be a responsible drunk, today i slept in. what a feeling! no guilt for sleeping in.... now that we have had our late breakfast i hardly know where to begin. my mind is racing with possibilities. instead of fighting off a hangover and the accompanying guilt, i am trying to gather up every moment of time. it feels so refreshing. everyday feels like Christmas now. as i open up each package (each day) i anticipate something grand to happen. these grand happenings often come in the most mundane moments. yet somehow they are no longer seem mundane. my new eyes have given me the joy that God must feel when watching us discover the wonder of the world. many have to get a terminal illness to gain this eyesight. i have been blessed that my illness came in the form of alcoholism. not only is there hope for a long life, but i have entered a group of like patients that are finally seeking the wonder of our lives. Amazing Grace is not only a beautiful song about finally seeing through the eyes of God, but a fantastic movie. Amazing Grace, the movie, is true story about a slavetrader that finally comes to see the light about his profession. He spends the rest of his life trying to serve God. this is my New Year's resolution: to spend the rest of my days serving God.
God bless you in the new year!