Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Now that January is here and those presents are opened, I wonder how many will last?  Often those shiny new toys opened on Christmas morning end up in a closet or collecting dust on a shelf in a short time.  The newness wears off and then all we have is a pile of junk and a credit card bill.  Are there any good gifts that will actually last through the coming weeks, months, or years? 

As I’ve gotten older it seems to me that experiences matter more than things.  Doing something together with the ones you love will create shared memories that will endure forever (or at least for a while).  I’m most grateful that we took some vacations as a family when I was a child, and then again when my kids were young.  Those are experiences that we still talk about 10 (or 40) years later.  I love talking about those trips with my kids as we all get excited to talk about what we did together.  Those times allow us to reconnect, and there isn’t much better than that.   

As we move into another year, my resolution is twofold.  First, I’m going to make some memories this year with my family.  I am hoping that, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, we take a trip together.  Second, I’m not sure how I’m going to do it, but I am going to try to become wiser.  That may seem a little odd, but I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of wisdom.  This is something we might not talk about much in society anymore, but I think we would all agree that we know some wise people, and when they speak, we listen (or at least we should).   Recently I came across a good passage on wisdom that I wanted to share.

“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!    Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!  Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!"

A couple of notes on wisdom.  It seems that it is not a gift, but something to be pursued.  It’s also something that can be lost if you turn away from it.  And it seems that it is something that takes constant work.  Perhaps if we all desire to be wiser, we might all be better off.  Seek wisdom, pursue understanding, listen more than you talk, take time to reflect, and keep learning.  And yes, please go out and make some memories, and share the good ones from the past. Happy New Year!