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Prayers for the New Year
I‘m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I love the end of the year as a time of reflection. It’s a time for me to take stock of what’s happened over the year and how it has affected me and the people around me. I think about the values that I want to cultivate more deeply in my life an
d in the world in the coming year—values like compassion, generosity, and hope.
Being fond of rituals, I also like to do stuff that symbolizes renewal. It’s usually something mundane, like cleaning out files on my computer and in the filing cabinet. But I’ve found that my New Year’s reflection time prepares me body and soul to let go of what I need to, so that there’s room for renewal and new life.
If you have a New Year’s prayer practice, we’d love to hear about it! You can share it by writing in the comment box below.
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{ 6 comments }
Thanks for a wonderful post, made me think as always. I also like this time of year for reflection. There is something about the “out of time” quality of this period that makes me want to dream for the new year. This year I decided to take a friend’s tip about using the “rule of three”, based on the idea that our poor overtaxed brains can’t remember more than three things at a time. So I’m thinking about three areas to choose as my “themes” for next year, and looking at how they will play out in my life. Some ideas include listening, letting go, and creating. I’m trying to pray around the question of what three areas to choose, with the faith that they’ll connect me to whatever needs attention in the year ahead.
Have a good new year!
Great themes, Leigh! I especially like the “creating” theme!
SMX,
I’m not so big on New Year’s resolutions myself, however, I agree that the coming new year is a good time for reflection and change. I think it can also be a time for renewal and growth. That being said, I think the best thing that I am going to concentrate on is constancy in my prayer life. Not letting the things of everyday keeping me from connecting with God and listening to Him. Not that it is much of a “resolution” as a “fiat” – a YES to keep God centered in my life.
~ just my thoughts.
Good insight, KC. The busyness of everyday life can be a distraction to prayer as well as a prayer in itself when done with intentionality.
Sister Max’s post made me wonder how Sr. Mildred feels about being put on a diet!
I like Leigh’s idea of focusing on three fundamental things. Looking at last year’s list of “resolutions,” I see that I did, in fact, manage to accomplish about three of them! KB is fond of saying, “Let go and let God,” and “Give it to the Universe,” and these are two things that I need to work on. For the third, spending more time with the people I care about is probably the strongest one. There are others, like really learning Photoshop (finally), writing out family stories (finally), as the family has been urging me to do, and the like. But the first two are lifelong directions, while the others are finite, measurable goals, and that’s a big difference.
I like your expression of the difference between long-term directions and more-immediate goals. Keeps the big picture in focus (hmm, can you photoshop the big picture) while attending to things in the here-and-now. P.S. SMildred loves the new diet.