New Mercies

Last year at this time, we were gearing up for a hum dinger of a storm which ended up dumping several inches of ice on our area. It kept us stuck in our houses for three days. It just so happened that my birthday was the day of the big storm... both literally and figuratively. As I think about what to write next, I am able to give detail after detail explaining the prelude to a very depressing and turbulent time in our lives, but, I will spare you (and myself) by not reliving those horrible memories. I am thankful for the words in the Bible that say "don't look back". As I approach my next birthday, I am determined to celebrate the new mercies promised to me today. I thank God that He loves me so much. He makes the sun to shine on me every day. I won't take that for granted.
I will say that one of the results of the crisis of 2007 was a determining of quality friends. It seems like some people came out of the woodwork to help me while others, who I thought were good friends, did nothing. Although I can't expect anyone else to go through tough times for me, it sure did help having good people "hold my hand" along the way. One thing is for sure, I do try to make a concious effort to help my friends when they are in a rough spot. Even though it's not convenient for me all the time, I make the effort to be there. When I get to the end of my life, I do not want to be known for being so self absorbed that I didn't take time out of my busy schedule for what mattered most.
So, A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who know what I am talking about and you WERE THERE! What an impact you made on my life. As I come up to my 32nd birthday, I expect to have a great year and I know that you all will be there with me through it all.