Happy New Year!
By Emily Watts
"I know the calendar suggest that New Year's Day is on January 1--and believe me, I appreciate the extra holiday so close to Christmas. My tree would probably be up until Easter otherwise. But for me, the day that really seems to signal a new year--or at least a new beginning--is September 1.
This is when we finally set aside the decadent summer chaos of midnight bedtimes and spontaneous weekend trips and avoidance of cooking and housekeeping. Delectable as all those things can be, they begin to wear on me, like too large a helping of chocolate cake (if, indeed, such a thing exists). I long for the plainer fare of schedules and structure.
September brings my life back into sane proportions, The kids are happily occupied in school, not yet overwhelmed with an accumulation of term projects, but productively engaged in getting the learning machine back into gear. Clean lockers, just-bought clothes, unspoiled notebooks, fresh boxes of colored pencils all the same length--these are the symbols of a new start for them.
Encouraged by their renewed resolve, I find myself looking for ways to bring greater accomplishments into my own life as well. This year, I want to work on being truer to what I know in my heart is right for me. This is partly due to the passing of Elder Maxwell and Elder Haight, which left me pondering, Have I been as faithful a disciple in my small sphere as they were in their larger one? Have I been as true to my life's mission as I might be? Recognizing that I have many worthy alternatives to choose from, am I making the best choices for this stage of my life?
One thing I've discovered is that today's best choice does not necessarily carry over into tomorrow. Circumstances change, and if I don't change with them I find myself feeling increasingly out of kilter. I just have to start over every now and then. This takes attention, prayer, and even some experimenting. That's why I'm grateful for an "extra" new year's day in September, a time to pull myself together and rethink some things and ask for guidance for the next leg of the journey.
So, although I'm not going to stay up until midnight to mark the occasion, may I wish you a very happy new year and another chance to make your life what you want it to be!" -
Emily Watts - Live, Love, and Learn; Devotional Messages for Women
