“If the Lord Wills…”

Happy New Year from Dillon, everyone 

My tradition the past few years has been to write a blog post on new years eve and make my prediction for the coming year. And it’s always been the same prediction. The upcoming year will be predictably unpredictable. And every year, I was uncannily correct. (I’m not claiming prophet status. Just saying some things are predictable. Like unpredictability!)

But none of those years was I as correct about the unpredictability as I was last year. Regarding this year. As unpredictable as the people in my life have no doubt come to expect me to be, I think I managed to shock everyone this year by up and getting married.

After that plot twist, I don’t know how to top it this year. So, maybe this year’s prediction will be that it will still be unpredictable, but not quite as unpredictable as last year’s rampage of unpredictability.

In seriousness, Mark and I do have some plans (or at least goals…hopes), but all plans come with an understood, “If the Lord wills…” attached to them.

So what are some of those goals we’re working toward (“if the Lord wills”) in 2024?

I’m presently working on turning Mark’s book (“He Is: Knowing God through Fifty Scriptural Meditations”) into an audio book by doing the reading for the recordings. I certainly hope (“If the Lord wills”) to finish that project next year. I’m also excited to get started on doing some mild renos to the house in preparation for selling it in a year or two when Mark is able to work towards retiring from his property management business and we’re thinking about going mobile on the road for a time or maybe buying a small piece of property and building a smaller house some day. The part I can do right now is slapping on a lick or two of paint. (I also plan to blog the changes, seeing this blog has mostly been a housing blog.)

So, I’m excited about all those plans. But I can almost guarantee that things will emerge in 2024 that I cannot foresee in the least from this vantage point. Unpredictably is still the most predictable prediction I can make.

(Less exciting are our plans to get the paperwork submitted for my green card (aka: permanent residence) for the US. We’re waiting on a medical appointment that I have an appointment for in February. Not an exciting plan, but a necessary one.)

Today, Mark and I hiked up to the spot where we first got together and then said, ”I do,” 4 and a half months later (“I do” for the second and official time). We prayed and thanked God for a crazy but amazing 2023 and dedicated 2024 into His hands, looking down to the little town that (Lord willing) will be my home for 2024. The word “healing” came to me. Wouldn’t that be amazing if it was a year of healing for everyone in need of it. 2022-2023 were very healing years for me. Here’s praying that 2024 will be the same for all reading this in need of a healing touch from God.

Happy 2024 everyone. If the Lord wills…