You know, around the time of New Years, there's always that picture of the old man leaving and the new baby coming in to replace him, signifying the changing of the year. Well, if that old man were real, I'd trip him as he crossed the street and push him into oncoming traffic.
2009 was a rough year full of lots of changes, some good, some bad. Here for your reading pleasure are the highlights.
- If you grew up on the S. Block (our lovely home street in Akron), it was not a good year to be your dad. Two of them passed away, one was treated for cancer and still one more was shot in an attempted robbery.
- My pay was cut (which they just reversed!) and haven't gotten a bonus at work for quite some time. But thankfully, I still have my job.
- I quit my old church and the job I had there and moved into the role of the Wandering Reverend (which you all know and love!).
- My room mate rearranged his room about 20 times (I want to make note that I am not exaggerating that number. . . he is crazy).
But obviously, I can't say that all the changes have been bad. Wandering from church to church has been a great experience and I have learned a lot from it. Somehow, I learned to live on less pay and still manage to save a few bucks here and there. Losing a few loved ones has made me appreciate the ones I have here with me all the more. Also, I found my new favorite organization, First Glance (which, if you haven't donated money to yet, there's still time!).
Not sure what I learned from my room mate . . . maybe to sleep with one eye open, for fear that he'll really snap and try to kill me while I slumber. Yeah, that sounds about right.
But 2010 is looking to be a good year. Like I said, I got my pay back to normal (sans bonus). Also, I'll be training for the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon in May, which will be good for both the body and the mind. I do need to work on my spiritual life.
For all the wandering and learning, I still haven't found that level of deep faith that I seem to be looking for. Obviously, this is a life time goal. But I'd like to put some habits into place that will really get me going on the right path. Any thoughts?
Now I say hello to 2010 and goodbye to the crazy mess that was 2009. I wish I had something deep to say here, but honestly, I just hope it's a smoother year than before.
Oh, and a woman. That'd be nice.
Rev.
