Six months ago I wrote about a new season, I had NO idea how much new this past year would bring for us.  I thought a new baby, new relationships, new perspectives and a new breath of life in our marriage was what I was talking about.   But new things have just kept popping up all year.  I’ve decided now that such is life.  I go through times where I hold my breath and wait for things to calm down, for ‘easy’ to come, for a break….for something.  I think now, for the first time, I understand that though that may happen, I can’t wait for it.  I just have to figure out how to live my life in the moment I am given.  And not just survive but really live.

Survival has marked a good deal of the last 6 years for us.  A sick first baby.  A super challenging second baby.  Rylee’s kidney surgery.  Major changes at Chris’ work.  Broken friendships.  Audrey’s kidney issues.  Painful choices of others that deeply impacted our life.  The list goes on.

If all my new year aspirations can be summed up into one, it is simply to embrace each day that is set before me, to choose joy and thankfulness above all else.

Last night we rang in the new year in the only way we could.  Folding about 8 loads of clean laundry while sharing a bottle of champagne as our precious little babes slept soundly in their beds.  It would be easy to see the lameness in that but instead I can be thankful for clothes to wear, for a husband that was sweet enough to fold with me until 1 AM, for a warm house, for the four little people God’s given us and for the new dreams we are sharing in.

We listened to one of our favorite songs last night, it rings so true for life I think.  The day might not look beautiful but we can choose to take what we have and delight in it anyway.  And in the end when all is said and done, maybe it was more beautiful than we’d thought to begin with.  Here are the lyrics for you.

Happy New Year!

Robbie Seay Band – New Day

If you’re like me
You need hope, coffee, and melody
So sit back down
Let the world keep spinning ‘round
For yesterday’s gone and today is waiting on you to show your face

It might not be
The prettiest thing that you’ll ever see
But it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day
And it might not look like
A beautiful sunrise
But it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day

I’m a pilgrim soul
I’ve traveled far and come back home
This land is hard and cold
For those who long to love
And I know it might seem
That the world is crumbling
But it’s me and you dancing in the kitchen at 2 am
And we’re still alive

It’s the calm of the storm that comes blowing in
It’s the springtime saying I’m back again
The clouds that roll by
Crossing moonlight
Me and you love – everything’s alright
Standing in the rain with nowhere to go
Laughing and we’re spinning and I hope that you
Remember this day
For the rest of your life
Me and you love – everything’s gonna be alright

And it just might be
The prettiest thing that you’ll ever see
It’s a new day
Oh baby, it’s a new day
If you look outside
To see a beautiful sunrise
It’s a new day

-Karissa