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Not Sad to See the Old Year Go

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Prudence: Allegory of Obedience (ca. 1320)
“Fresco” [Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi, Italy]
Giotto di Bondone (Italian; ca. 1267 – 1337). Detail.
With her dual face, Prudence sees both past and future.

Welcome to the New Year of 2026! This year is looking much like the latter part of the old year. The good news is the first part of 2025 was a struggle, but every month afterwards was an improvement. I’ve found staying hopeful always helps recovery from any setback easier. If I keep to a regular routine, stay focused on healthy practices, and manage my stress, I can keep a positive attitude.

I have learned I need to eat at regular times, or I’m good for nothing. My first new year’s achievement is outwitting the AI Assassin in the new Office365 program update. As I age, managing new activities every year gets more difficult. I finally asked the AI for a blank document. It made me one. And now I’m writing with one finger happily. Not trying to get past its gatekeeping is a thrill. I have ended my old year on a high note!

Heinrich Kley (German, 1863-1945), Boxende Hasen; ink on paper; from the collection of The Walt Disney Family FoundationHeinrich Kley/Walt Disney Family Foundation

Our condo group was going to have a little get together and watch the old world welcome the New Year, but the flu bug decided to lay everyone low. For some reason, I’ve escaped this go round. I may be waiting for the sucker punch in the next round. I watched the first half of the football game and went upstairs to see the bitter end. Not having a dog in this hunt means I don’t remember who played, but on New Year’s Day, I got the benefit of three college bowl games! One of these was a defensive battle, the Heisman Trophy winner proved that it takes an effective team to make a quarterback great, and the SEC game is ongoing as I write.

1924 English Soap Advertisement

Folks say what you do on January 1st, you’ll do all year long. If that’s the case, I’ll be cooking, creating, and watching sports on tv. At least I took a shower and washed my hair; I know my neighbors will be glad I’ve chosen cleanliness for the new year. I don’t ascribe to the idea I might be “washing the good luck out of my life.” Instead, I believe others would count themselves lucky to be near my clean smelling self.

Some of these superstitions are geared to make us “turn over a new leaf” as we begin new habits with the new year. Fitness centers are jam packed in the first three weeks of January, but by the end of the month, the regulars will notice a real drop in attendance. By Valentine’s Day, most of the resolution driven members will have stopped attending. The regular members will have the gym back to themselves. Fact check: This superstition doesn’t actually hold true.

Lindt Gourmet Truffles are here for your Valentine

Many reasons exist for this quitting: change is difficult, some people set unrealistic goals which lead to early burnout, routines aren’t easy to establish, and new exercisers sometimes compare themselves to experienced people (and get discouraged or overwhelmed). Plus, it’s winter, and much of the country experiences bad weather and darkness before and after work. Having said this, one almost wonders how anyone keeps a New Year’s resolution! Especially when candy and cookies keep coming around!

Other new year resolutions are work oriented, for they seek to make us more productive or manage our time better. These are great if you think your purpose is to be an economic engine or to be a cog in the global economy. A Wall Street Journal survey in 2023 found the only value Americans came to care more about was making money.

DeLee: Christ for the Heavy Burdened, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”

I would suggest your first goal is to be more human. If time management skills help you to order your life so your faith, your integrity, your family, your health, your livelihood, and your concern for the future of our world and its people fall into proper alignment, then put those skills to the greater purpose.

Most likely, no one offering these skills will suggest how to order your priorities in any way other than to be more productive at work. They may suggest you’ll have more free time for your family, but work will notice your “efficiency” and promote you to more time consuming, yet higher paying responsibilities. In this new year of 2026, do you hear a call to tune your heart and soul to the spiritual presence of God in your life? Is there more to life than the daily grind?

When the days are cold and dark, I open my Bible to the gospel of John. John speaks of Jesus as the “light of the world,” indeed he “was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”  (John 1:4-5)

There are many reasons today to be negative or to tune out the world beyond our daily lives and our families. The system seems too big or too broken to understand, repair, or change. The world is very large and we are only one small voice in its vast wilderness. We can find ourselves easily lost in the cacophony of voices telling us, “I have the solution. Follow me.”

Vintage New Year’s Card, circa 1905

How do we test the truth of these voices who promise the moon but never deliver even the cheese? First, remember these false leaders will tell you what you what you want to hear. They will speak to your fears, your angers, your hatreds, and your base desires. A true leader, however, will tell you the truth and not make promises they cannot keep. Only the spiritually strong will be able to sort the false from the true, for their hearts and minds love all their neighbors. Their only anger is against the system which often treats some privileged individuals better than others and others of lower status very badly.

Of course, I’m old and I grew up in an age in which I believed my voice counted. In high school, we held our student elections using our local government’s voting machines. Our principal trained us to expect to vote in city elections once we became eligible. In college I marched with other students for civil rights and in peace demonstrations. I was not a believer in Christ or God, but I believed in Life. I made a circuitous journey back to faith in Christ by the grace of God believing in me, even though I had quit believing in God.

To wrap this up, I say no one is ever so lost that God cannot find them. If you want one resolution to keep for this new year, read one verse in the gospel of John a day. If so moved, write it down, and jot some thoughts that come to mind. If none come at first, don’t worry. As you read more, wait more, and open your mind and heart more, thoughts will come. You can’t force this. It takes a bit to let go of all the “jumping monkeys” in our minds that call us to be busy with our “gotta get it done now” lists. Trust the process. Grow with it. There’s a learning curve.

Not showing the ugly scar! This is three months post operative. It’s barely noticeable anymore.

On a personal note, in March I had cervical neck fusion surgery. These last couple of years were painful due to the neck injury from picking up groceries. Now I’m recovering well and getting my spark back. However, I’m coming to grips with the realization I’m having to retire my Wonder Woman crown and belt. The lasso of truth, however, you’ll have to pull from my cold, dead hands. I will always tell you the truth, you can count on that. You might not like it, but as Jesus said to the ones who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32) However, don’t believe in me, but in the one who sent me! I’m just the messenger.

Blackeyed peas for good luck in 2026

For my New Year’s supper, I enjoyed a hearty bowl of blackeyed peas, brown rice, and quinoa, all simmered together with baby spinach cooked in rich leftover pot roast liquid. To finish it off, I sprinkled a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Here’s wishing everyone a prosperous, healthy, and peaceful New Year in 2026! Eat more plants, more veggies, and more home cooked meals. Spend time creating, sharing, and learning.

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

David Brooks: We’re Living Through the Great Detachment

 

 

 

 

YOU CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT PRAYER

Creativity, Family, generosity, Healing, Health, Holy Spirit, home, Love, Painting, Prayer, purpose, Spirituality, Uncategorized, vision, vision, Work

  You haven’t got a prayer. Not a chance. No way, Jose. At my age, I should know better. At least, that’s what the gray hairs on my head  remind me. “With age comes wisdom, or at least, experience. Leave these great deeds for the young and strong who yearn to make their mark on the world!”

Why would I listen to such sage advice from my sensible self? Creative artists appreciate a good challenge, a technical problem to solve, or a medium to master. If you tell us it can’t be done, we say, “Why not? It’s a boundary to be pushed, a line to be crossed, or a limit to be stretched.”  For us, the rule is made to be broken. Traditions are useful only to guide us into new arenas of unexplored territory. 

This scenario usually means Plan Alpha doesn’t pan out. At least I didn’t make it into Plan Zebra, but only because the good Lord hears the prayers of those in need.

 “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” ~~ Psalms 30:10

I had a written plan, a sketch, which is more than most folks have when they head to Lowes. I also had a materials’ list, as well as a to do list. I thought I could execute these four 48″ x 72″ pegboard panels with three hinges on each side to make a four sided standing display stand in one cool morning. 

First I underestimated the length of time to wait for the cuts on these four boards at Lowes. Only one young man was doing his harried best to cut every piece of wood for all the customers lined up to take advantage of the $1 per cut fee. Asking for help never brought another worker, for that would have cost the company more in benefits and wages than it brought in sales. Checking facebook passed the time. Then another customer let me go first. His lot was bigger and more complex than mine. Besides, down South, most older gentleman will let a lady go first. Not the younger men, however; just the older ones. It’s a passing tradition. 

Getting these pegboards into my SUV are a trick. I can put a 48” wide canvas inside easily because it’s on stretcher strips. Pegboard is flexible and doesn’t stay in one place. It also gets caught on the seat belt straps. To carry these one by one is a trick itself, so I can always count on the helpers appearing out of nowhere to give me a hand. God has been known to provide mana in the wilderness and willing backs in the loading zones. I lacked an inch of space to close the back door, so I pulled my two front seats granny close. That and a push did it for us. Another fellow made sure I didn’t hit the cars behind me. I’m always thankful for help, even when I think I can handle it myself. 

Arriving at my condo, I pulled the pegboards out onto the carport floor. Gravity is a great help. We can thank God for this too, as well as for curious neighbors who can’t resist getting involved. Bill helped me drill, place and screw the door hinges onto the first two boards before another errand called him away. When I stood this pair upright, I realized my afternoon would be devoted to Plan B. 

All the designs and lists are for naught if one forgets that steel trumps composite wood. Yes, the hinges were stronger than the boards. Back to Lowes for more materials. Cedar fence shakes for $2.55 each were a better choice than finely finished pine for $3.25 each, plus I wouldn’t have another interminable wait at the cutting line. The cedar was already six feet long, but the pine was eight feet in length. Carrying Plan B to my vehicle was a piece of cake, maybe even a muffin top, for I needed no miraculous mana of help to materialize upon that asphalt. 

At home again, Bill brought Sue ought to check on my progress, along with a tall glass of iced lemonade. I’m not sure what I appreciated more, the cool drink, the encouragement, or the extra hands to get Plan B underway. I was fading quickly with each passing hour of the late afternoon. Together we slammed that structure into a whole. As we say, many hands make the work light. As long as it’s predrilled, I can put it back together again. I even labeled the sections by number to get then in order the next day. 

“How will you get it inside? How will you put it together?” My neighbors asked me. “Oh, there’s always someone who will help. It’s the way we are!” Stepping out in faith is what we do for a living. It’s our way of life. Asking for help isn’t necessary. We need only get out over our head and others will help us. God sends these folks to us. I’ve been the one sent to those in need, and I’ve been on the receiving end also. 

When I drove up to our local convention center, the arena staff saw my laboring over the dolly and these boards, looked at each other, and picked up the four pieces to hand tote them to my display site. Friends helped bring in the paintings and the college students from the Wesley Foundation at the University of Arkansas at Monticello helped me build the display. I was up and ready by noon!  

I may have begun this project by myself, but I had help the whole way. I had the tradition of the old masters who drew plans for grand buildings in their sketchbooks to guide me. Experts at Lowes gave me tips on hanging my works and  my condo neighbors stopped by to encourage me as I worked. (They also checked on the unusual activity over at my carport, I’m sure.) I brought some young people into the trade of carpenter’s apprentice for a short term. I imagine it was different from their school books and computers. I so appreciated their energy and willingness to serve. 

I met the face of God in each of my helpers, for they were each one an answer to prayer. We don’t have to speak this prayer out loud, for God can hear the silent cries from our hearts. God can answer the unspoken prayers, the deep sighs of our spirits. For our companion’s sakes, the sooner we’re in touch with our deep emotional needs so that we can voice our pain and needs, the better our intimacy and personal lives will be. Try this simple prayer: 

 “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” ~~ Psalms 30:10