Are you ready to turn over a new leaf or turn the next page, start a new chapter, close the 2023 book, or trade in the 2023 version for the 2024 version of you? Some people say, “A new year, a new me.”
New Year expressions to say goodbye to the old and hello to a new year are not in short supply. Pick your favorite; many involve proclamations for new beginnings, fresh starts, or clean slates.
Perhaps, we all have some house cleaning to do, but there are some essentials to take into 2024.
Let’s not forsake the lessons learned, good seeds planted, precious mementos, and memories. The people and things that balanced, grounded, and inspired us are essential for 2024’s opportunities and challenges. And don’t forget the serenity prayer. Just as it was in 2023, there will be things outside our control in 2024.
Looking back, how do you sum up a year or 365 days? The question makes me think about Seasons of Love, the beautiful song in the renowned musical, Rent.
The song takes snapshots or walks down memory lane into the 525,600 minutes of a year and attempts to answer the question, “How do you measure a year?”
A year is 365 daylights, 365 sunsets, and 365 midnights and within each are 525,600 minutes. The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months are moments, actions, events, and experiences that help make us who we are. Whether happy, sad, or angry we lived those minutes.
How do we summate or quantify a year of life? One cannot remember all the days and goings-on, but we remember broken things, like teeth and friendships. We remember things and people lost and stolen: loved ones, jobs, homes, and more.
We remember vacations and places traveled, and the odometer recorded the miles. One mile is 63,360 inches, but what about the footsteps taken, especially those that built bridges? We don’t want to forget the paths and steps of love, peace, and happiness.
The whole is equal to the sum of its parts; therefore, we remember the bitter and the sweet. I take sugar with my coffee and forgiveness with moments of strife and disappointments.
Forgiveness is possible for everyone. And don’t forget to forgive yourself.
Proverbs 16:24, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones,” can help us spread more love in 2024.
The following verses from the Seasons of Love tell us what is essential to remember and do whatever 2024 brings.
Remember the love
(Oh, you’ve got to, you’ve got to remember the love)
Remember the love
(You know that love is a gift from up above)
Remember the love
(Share love, give love, spread your love, measure your life in love)
Seasons of love
Seasons of love (measure your life, measure your life in love)
How else can we measure a minute, hour, day, week, month, or year except in acts of love?
Twenty-twenty-four can be our Year of Jubilee, a year of release and forgiveness of debt to those who owe an apology or money, and a year of peace only God can give.
Salute! Here’s to a life of more love in 2024.
Happy New Year!
Be well.