Core Truths

Ah, the New Year. It’s a time for reflection and a time for new beginnings. A time to look back on where we have been and a time to chart a new path moving forward. We can count the many things for which we are thankful and we can make a plan for all of the things we’d like to change. I feel like this new year is special as we not only close out a year, but we also close out a decade. I am looking at this as the end of my last 20 years and the beginning of my next 20! I am also thinking about and carefully choosing my word of focus for this upcoming year and decade. Sometimes, my focus word does not come so easily to me. Sometimes it takes discernment beyond the first of January before it becomes clear what I would like to change, improve, or keep close to my heart. Last year, my focus word was “lagniappe.” I spent time last year doing a little extra for myself, for my family, for my friends, my community, and my church. I am all the better for what I experienced and the many ways...

I don’t know about you, but for me, things do not always go as planned. No matter how much planning and preparation go into something, no matter how much I hope and hold on for things to go a certain way, some things are just out of my control. Sometimes, I have to just go with the flow. Today was a perfect example of things not going the way I would have hoped they would go. We spent a fun weekend with both family and friends. This morning, we got up, got packed, and started the nearly 400 mile trek back home. According to the trusty maps app we use, the trip should take less than six hours. But if you have ever traveled with children—and we travel with five children—then you know that the maps app is not entirely correct. We have traveled enough for me to know I should hope for one thing but I should expect another. So as we headed out, I hoped for a six hour long trip, but I expected it to take closer to eight. And that is how I handle most situations where I know...