So This is the New Year

I've become increasingly reclusive in my old age.  I believe that there are several factors that play into this behavior.  The cold and wet Washington weather that persists through three out of the four seasons, our financial situation that offers little opportunity to go out, the difficulty of getting out of the house with a child, and of course the comfort of hot tea and yoga pants.

I spend my days doing the same things, working with the same people, communicating with the same friends, and going to the same places.  The predictability of my life has been a great comfort through the stress and uncertainty of our living and financial situations.

I realized recently that this stress and uncertainty was absolutely consuming me.  In recent years I've begged and pleaded with God to make the right direction for me clear, to use me in this place, to show me what I need to learn from these hardships.  

You are blessed.

I KNOW I'M BLESSED, GOD!  JUST SHOW ME WHAT TO DO!!!

You are blessed.

AND WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY BLESSED SELF?!?!?!

You are blessed.

UGH!!!

It was a completely inadequate response, in my opinion.  And my freewill could jump off a cliff for all I cared.  I needed the security of God's direction and this ambiguous reply was not what I was looking for.

Well, I began reflecting on the blessings in my life.  I may not have worldly possessions and a steady income to make my life comfortable, but I have so much.  Anyone who knows me can see that my life is saturated in blessings.

I won't bore you with the list.  It's too long to type up anyway.  I'll highlight a couple of points that might be a bit less obvious though.

• The diverse community that I live in offers such rich cultural experiences.  What a waste it would be to live amongst these people and not actively engage with them.
• My sensitive heart which loves without hesitation.  

See where I'm going with this?  After this revaluation I vowed to be more involved in my community.  I don't have financial gifts to offer, but I have time, energy and love.  I'm changing out of my yoga pants, pouring my tea in a to-go cup, grabbing my rain boots and umbrella, and accepting volunteer opportunities.  

In the last couple of months I've been volunteering with Children of the Valley, an organization that works with low income students.  I KNOW!  This is right up my alley.  I'm becoming increasingly excited about this program and hopeful that God will use me here.  

I've also been dusting off my Spanish, which has gone unused for the last five years, and getting my ducks in a row to take Spanish courses at the local community college.  

So here I am, completely out of my comfort zone, doing new things, meeting new people, and feeling incredibly blessed.