I remember my first encounters with my great aunts when I was a kid. The main impression left on me was, “Wow! That lady is old!” I was probably 4 or 5 at the time. I looked up at my Great Uncle Raymond’s Wife. She seemed nice enough, but “how old is she?” was what ran through my mind. It’s easy to process a grandma and think of her as being old. That’s the way it should be. Grandma’s are meant to be old, soft, sweet, and the presenter of all kinds of goodies. But great aunts, they are hard to categorize in a young girls thoughts.

Last night we had the big celebration of Christmas for my husbands side. Somewhere near 40 people in our house, and once again toddlers, babies, and little ones were running through my house.  Every once and awhile one of these little ones would come in a face to face confrontation with me. I wondered to myself if their thoughts would mirror mine of decades ago.

I’ve tried hard not to look so old. “Rockstar” skinny jeans, T-shirt, tennis shoes, and dyed hair are weapons of my battle, but I’m pretty sure they are all masking the inevitable. “She is OLD”. That’s ok. Life is all about seasons, and I’m pretty happy about the season I’m in. No more diapers, toddler fits, and chasing little ones around a house that obviously isn’t child proof. But I also am getting glimpses of the other side of the hill. Sometimes it’s comforting and sometimes not so much. I’m where my parents were when I was newly married. Balancing out teenagers, aging parents, changing hormones, and my little eaglets flying the nest. Life can be full of joy one moment and anxiety the next.

We are on the doorstep of a new year. It’s a matter of hours before 2018 will be in the books and 2019 will begin to be written. “Where does this leave me and where will it lead me?” Are what I’ve been thinking about this morning.

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm‬ ‭100:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is faithful. He was faithful to me in 2018 and will continue to be in 2019. His faithfulness continues throughout the generations. From the wide eyes of the toddler I was playing peekaboo with last night, to the teen who is in a constant battle with boredom and puppy love, to the young mother (my nieces) who probably left my house last night glad that they could strap their little ones in a car seat for a few minutes and “take a breather”, to my brothers- in-law and sisters-in-law who are battling new aches from places they didn’t know existed revealed to them in their mid life, to my mother-in-law and parents who have seen a lot and sit upon a mountain of experience and wisdom from the years, God is faithful through the generations. That is Rock I can sink my anchor in. No matter the season of life or the path my year may take, I can be assured He is with me and in Him I can truly have not only a Happy New Year, but a Blessed one as well!

Happy New Year! God’s Blessings on you!