Get Ready for New Beginnings


By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager
“The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God... But be a blessing to somebody.”  —Maya Angelou


As the end of the year approaches, we get ready for Christmas and to welcome a new year. From an early age I thought the fact that Christmas and New Years are so close together always made sense. For me, it is more than just about celebrating the birth of Christ and having the chance to embrace the promise of a new year. It is about more than mere resolutions. It is about the chance of getting a fresh start and finding new ways of seeing Christ in our everyday lives. It is about opening ourselves up to the love and grace Christ shares with us through others. About taking another step towards living in His example to love each other, to give a little bit of grace and forgiveness to ourselves and everyone else, and to share our blessings with those who need them as much or even more than we do. 

This end of the year celebration of Christ’s birth can signal the end of one chapter in our lives and the beginning of another. It can be how we step away from our mistakes, our anger, our sorrow, and other negative things in our lives. And how we walk towards more positive ones that can bring new blessings; that can lead us into becoming new blessings for others. So, this year let’s get ready for new beginnings with a smile on our faces and some hope in our hearts.

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