Fresh Footprints

Today was New Years Day. I am having trouble, this year, getting into the whole "New Year's thing". I think the holidays have just happened too fast for me. I planned so hard for Christmas, that I missed everything after Christmas.
We didn't have anything elaborate planned for today, Pamela and I spent part of the day at the beach (while Adam played Disc Golf). I love the beach, it's constantly getting in my head and teaching me lessons. Today, as the first day of 2009, the beach was beautiful. A cool breeze, Mission Boardwalk was busy with people going nowhere. Just walking, biking, skating and boarding up and down the large sidewalk. I thought about how refreshing it is to start a new year. Many people do the whole Resolution thing, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The point is, we get to start over. I thought about that as I watched the waves today. Everyday, the tide goes out and everyday, it comes back in. If you go to the beach in the evening, you can see sancastles made throughout the day, drawings people have made in the sand, and footprints of dogs, children, birds, and other creatures. But if you go in the morning, all of those things are gone. If you came to see sandcastles, your out of luck, but if you came to be the first footprints of a new day...this is your opportunity. So, I guess what I'm saying, is there are surely some who will be sad to see 2008 go and others who can't wait to race forward into 2009, but it turns out we have been blessed with both. Thank God for giving us 2008 and thank God for trusting us with 2009.

-AB