It’s not as new as it looks…

This will be my sixty fourth new year. After some thoughtful consideration, it is becoming apparent to me that the older I get the less new each passing year becomes. It is just more of the same with a different twist. The 2026 model Tesla may have a few new features that the 2025 one did not have, but it still performs the same functions. The most crucial one being siphoning copious amounts of money from your bank account into the various other bank accounts. This would include all the people involved in the design, creation, and marketing  of the vehicle, with a small portion landing in the bank account of the world’s richest man. So what’s new about that? the same thing happened last year.

Life is hard…

A wise man once said, there is nothing new under the sun, and I agree. If what the world has to offer is all there is, then life becomes pretty much meaningless. I have a friend who when her children complained to her about chores and homework and such would respond: “Life is hard and then you die”. As cruel as that sounds, it is a true statement. Life is not easy regardless of your station. It’s just a grand variety of hard. So perhaps the only choice we really have is which hard we will choose. 

Life without money is hard. Earning enough to money to live well is also hard. Choose your hard. 
Building a strong marriage is hard. So is living in a bad marriage. Choose your hard. 
teaching your children to be civil and productive is hard. So is living with a herd of undisciplined savages. Choose your hard. 

Finding Joy…

None of these truths are new. Life has always been hard. At the end of it we all die. Yet we keep celebrating a new year every twelve months. We wish each other a Happy New Year! And…in the midst of the hard…we often do find much happiness. Perhaps even true joy. The same wise man who found nothing new under sun after considering all that life has to offer concluded his wise thoughts this way. 

That”s the whole story. Here is now my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14)

May you find an abundance of joy amidst the hardship of life as you navigate your life journey into the coming year!