NEW YEAR, NEW STORY

It’s a journey that begun 365 days ago. And after this long sojourn through valleys and plains; smooth and crooked places, now perched and weary we finally see the glory of the Lord. And the doors of 2020 is open ajar for us to walk through. The dawn of a new year. A new decade.

We all know this journey wasn’t all rosy and bliss. It wasn’t for you and certainly not for me. Our heavily blistered callused feet tell the story of our pain. And it isn’t because of joy that our eyes are sunken and our lips cracked and dry. We had our hearts pierced in a thousand places when we grieved on the loss of loved ones. And the pain of eternal fairwell was too great a burden to bear. At a point we thought it was over for us too. How could we live in a world minus the people who told us the world was a beautiful place just because we lived in it. The people who loved us without a condition. Sadness loomed over us like a messenger of doom. We were forlorn. Lost.

Amidst the tears we refused to wallow in sadness forever. No. Rays of Sunshine soon touched our souls with light. And eventually our snuffle cries was replaced by torrents of laughter and smiles.

Because we are strong we’re unbowed. And when the day was dark and scary we faced it with courage and zeal. Some days were bright and beautiful. And we welcomed such days with grace and humility. We maintained the pace. We kept the faith. We continued the journey. We faltered. But we never stopped.

Finally we are here. The new year is upon us. New blank pages are spread before us. Perhaps it’s time for a new story. An opportunity to retell our tales. And ask yourself; what is it you want in this life?
May the spirits of your ancestors guide you as you answer this question in the next 365 days. And may the Lord above shower us with blessings. And with such abundant love.

In the words of WITI IHEAMERA I say to you, May the calm be widespread, May the ocean glisten as greenstone, And may the shimer of light ever dance across your pathways; from this day till your last day.

I still want the same things I ever wanted since I was a child. I want to always have food. I want to be happy. I want to be comfortable. And I want to live.
To this new year and many more years to come, Shalom.