out of 2009, into 2010

2009 was a big year.

some pretty significant things happened this last year-

I took 6 weeks off of work for extended leave! (well, sort of)

my kid turned 5,

I celebrated 8 years at the church, and in middle school ministry,

I got to meet and work with all kinds of new and cool people-

the church grew by a lot! and so did the middle school ministry.

and some not so great things happened this year:

my parents announced that they were splitting up.

the transmission went out in the explorer, which made a tight budget tighter.

I said goodbye to some very cool work partners

I walked with some friends through some very difficult days,

and my friend Ed passed into eternity.

some friends and I have been talking about a book called “The Black Swan” which discusses the randomness and improbability of just about everything; and here on the eve of 2010, there are a lot of Black Swans waiting to be revealed. who knows what it will bring?

who will I meet in 2010 that will change my life?

who will I say goodbye to?

what will surprise me?

what will break my heart?

with everything that DID happen this year, there are a lot of significant things that DIDN’T happen, which I can be grateful for:

I didn’t lose my job or my home- even though many did.

I didn’t lose any members of my immediate family- even though many did.

I didn’t have to move, I didn’t have to stay in the hospital, I didn’t get in a car accident- even though many had to deal with all of these.

so I’m not complaining, I recognize that I’ve been fortunate and blessed.

last year I made a few new year’s resolutions:

1. no fries

2. 250 trips to the gym

3. a 6 week vacation funded by cash, not credit.

and I’m proud to say that I did them all; well, I had a few orders of fries AFTER I hit that 250 mark.

this year I want to do all of those again plus more. my goals this year are:

1. no fries.

2. 250 trips to the gym minimum. I’m hoping to actually get to at least 275 and to 300.

3. I want to pay cash for everything. no charging at all. if the car breaks- which it always does, I might have to charge that; but other than that I don’t want to charge anything. I will probably still need to use a card to buy stuff online, but I’ll have to get creative about how to pull that off without using credit.

4. I want to take my 5 year old to Disneyland. I’ve been saying that I will do it for years, but every time, something comes up.

what will 2010 bring? we’ll see! but let’s have an attitude of expectation and wonder through it all.

God is love.

-rev-rob