Happy New Year to you and your family.
This ageless expression has been with us for many years.
According to reports, celebrating the New Year originally took place on March 25th. The Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian Calendar, changing the formula for calculating leap years. As a result, the beginning of the legal New Year was moved from March 25th to January 1st.
So here we are in the year 2022, ready to begin new plans and new dreams.
Some years back, like many of you, I made some resolutionsof things that I would and wouldn’t do.
Unlike many of you, my resolutions only lasted for one week. In my defense, I had good intentions.
I am now squarely in the 4th quarter of my life, trying to get to overtime. Watching people pass away in my generation is a bit sobering.
Life at any age should not be taken for granted. As a young citizen, I probably took my everyday existence for granted.
As a Christian, I have always known that we have what I call an “earthly lease”. However, as a young adult, I just thought my lease would be renewed.
Now, in a funny way, I may be on a month-to-month lease.
Thankfully, I have celebrated a lot of birthdays. The keys for me haven’t been the gifts, ice cream, or cake. Don’t get me wrong, I am appreciative for them.
The blessings for me have been that I have pretty good health and I still have my wits about me.
Aging brings on health challenges, both physical and mental.
My advice is, whatever quarter of life you are in, guard it carefully. To be more specific, watch what you put in your body and the company you keep.
Bad stuff and questionable people might lead to an early exit. This is just my opinion.
Our 2021 and 2022 have started the same way. We still have the Coronavirus. Spikes have occurred recently with the Delta and Omicron variants.
No matter how we spin this news story, it is not good. 24-hour flash sales, parades, and celebrations cannot negate the fact that we are in the biggest health crisis of our life.
The numbers are numbing, and the statistics are frightening.
COVID-19 has taken over the world.
We can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Not wearing a mask when in public is putting your own life at risk. If you are going to be a part of a gathering, you better have some health and safety guidelines.
In fact, if you are in charge of the event, you owe it to your guests to have some safety checks. If they do not like them, then send them the YouTube video of the event.
According to Politico, there are some telling assertions out here.
First, one out of every hundred Americans, 65 and older, have died from COVID-19.
Second, the U.S. will hit one million deaths in the Spring.
At this time only 33% of Americans have received a booster shot. President Biden has ordered a half billion COVID-19 tests to send to people across the country.
ABC News’ Anchor, David Muir, asked President Biden last week about testing.
The President said, “Nothing’s been good enough.”
The refrain has been the same regarding this illness. America needs to mask up, socially distance, and wash our hands. More people need to receive this message and act upon it.
We are in a dark period right now. However, let us hope that the New Year shines the bright light of hope and healing on it.
As believers, let us go into our quiet places and say a prayer. He will answer our effectual fervent prayers.