Sixty-seven degrees on January 3rd. Incredible! 2023 is off to a good start! Giant City State Park was a special enjoyment this morning as it rained so much that the water streams were flowing heartily over the rocks. When I am in the woods I am surrounded by the miracle of life. It is easy to fall into the deep ditch of doubt in the magic of our most wonderful gift…life.

I remember my youth in Eldorado. There were so many possibilities that I did not know which envelope to open first. Hours spent in the Orpheum Theatre caused me to see worlds that I was not a part of and adventures that would take me several lifetimes to pursue. The little former coal mining town was peaceful and yet exciting. Some of my teachers took an interest in me and I rallied to fulfill their confidence. Mrs. Barton and Mr. Feazel advised me that I had a talent for writing and I never forgot their words. Mrs. Bramlet loved my speeches in her speech class. While those who might have encouraged me had better things to occupy their time…others stepped up and caused me to seek an exciting and fulfilling life.

When MJ put her little hand in my big mitt…I could not believe my good fortune. As the song says, I was just a poor boy from a poor family…’ The births of Aaron and Jonathon continue to be the preeminent miracles in my life!

I sat in the back pew of our church on Christmas Eve and reflected on the wonderful people that I have witnessed sitting in the same pew over the past 25 years. People who I looked up to and admired and who built our little church through much toil and faith in the future. I reflected on the miracle of being a part of such a lovely group and heard the voices of those who have gone on to discover the Secret…’Do not let our church die for lack of attention.’

Neva June believed in people who many did not believe in. If you were hungry she fed you. If you had no clothes she bought you some. If you had difficulty paying your heating bill…she gave you money for it. She was a walking miracle among many who were unseen and unheard and unwanted.

From my first day as a member of the Southern Illinois University Community I received encouragement and mentoring. I soon believed that I could become a success.

Kindness is a miracle. When a fellow traveller on this bumpy road of life extends a word of greeting and fellowship and love…you are experiencing something that is more valuable than the ‘Gold of Ophir’ that the Bible speaks of. When you are lonely or depressed or feel that no one cares…the person that listens to you and sits just hearing and not offering easy answers but instead offers their time and care…is a miracle.

I watched the most interesting movie about time travel last night. It was one of the best that I have seen on the mind bending subject. It was Predestination with Ethan Hawke. It offered food for thought as to how we got here…and who we are.

It feels like autumn in Little Egypt. Nearly 60 degrees. It is 2023! I remember 1963… Time flies when you are having fun. New Year resolutions are easily made and difficult to keep. The secret is that you are the same person you were last night when you were ringing in the New Year and enjoying adult beverages and copious leftover Christmas Sweets! Today I am committed to losing weight and writing a book. I have written enough blogs to fill several books…and I eat less than ever. But…I have never published a book and my weight remains high probably due to carbohydrates. January 1, 2023, affords each of us a good beginning and a mental trick to convince us that now is the time and we are in the place to improve and change and become what we fully know we can evolve and be who we were meant to be!

Resolutions are realized. Each of us really can change. Change involves a bit of willpower and the trading of one habit for another. I have heard that it takes 21 days to change a habit. I decided in 2014 that I was going to become serious about being a writer and henceforth write almost every day. If I do not write I do not feel right… Years ago I decided that I was going to walk daily for my health. I walk every day. Around 20 years ago I decided that I was going to lose weight. I lost 95 pounds.

We carry a lot of baggage on our sore backs. Our assumptions often rule our actions. We think that people are judging us or thinking about us in negative ways when in reality we probably are not entering their minds and if we do their thoughts of us are kind and they are indeed fond of us. Life is as open to possibilities at any age as we are. The Naked Pastor said in his end-of-year newsletter that he had turned 65 in October and that he had several improvement goals for 2023. This resonated with me as I too turned 65 in October…I thought if NP can do it…so can I!

Focus is the key. My friend Jo Ann told me years ago that she had the ability to focus on the tasks in front of her with laser-like detail. To make a positive change we must have it in front of us and not easily ignored or forgotten. There is a bit of pain with change. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Don DeLillo’s classic White Noise has been made into a movie that can be seen on Netflix. The movie examines our preoccupation with the plethora of distractions that command much of our cerebral attention. At one point in the film, the central family is eating an elaborate dinner while their neighbors are evacuating a toxic cloud event from an exploded tanker truck. Suddenly the increase of the sirens and the observance of their neighbors running for their lives…spurs them to evacuate also. We have so many competing interests for our precious time that we have difficulty focusing on any of them to completion.

Multi-Tasking is a popular illusion. Our hurry-up world requires Multi-Tasking from time to time…but none of the tasks are done well. The perceived compliment that she/he is so busy all of the time…does not necessarily mean that they are productive. Sisyphus was busily rolling the stone up the hill…only for it to return to the bottom for him to begin the process again.

Satisfying it is when at the conclusion of 2023 we can look back and say…I did it!