Another year

Another year is gone. Another one about to begin. Of course, this is true every day. Every day ends a period that is one year long and starts another one. But when a calendar year comes to an end, it's typically a time for reflection and looking forward.

I've got to say, the thing that strikes me as 2013 comes to an end is how fast the time of this present age is rolling by. 2013 was another remarkable year, but it really doesn't seem like it could be a whole year. It seems that life unfolds like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you are to the end, the faster it unrolls. It truly won't be long before my time in this life is done, and I need to make the most of it.

Of course, it's easy to focus on the big events, and they were memorable.

Alabama winning its 15th national championship only 7 days into the year:

Traveling to London with my awesome nephew and nieces:

Serving God with an amazing team of friends, old and new, in Ethiopia:

And, afterwards, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a little sightseeing in nearby Tanzania:

All very exciting, and times I will never forget.

But 2013 was defined just as much by daily life, the little moments that emerge a day at a time. The ones that are part of doing life with family and friends. Things like:

• Weekly Monday night gatherings at my sister's house with family and a couple of close friends,
• Getting to see my dad almost every day as I pick up my dog from his house after work,
• Getting together with a small group of close friends to eat pad thai, talk, pray, and even watch a little TV,
• Lunch after church on Sundays with family,
• Going to work each day, looking for ways to glorify God through my work and working relationships,
• Going to football games in the fall with my family, allowing us to spend a whole day together,
• A weekly Wednesday morning small group, challenging each other to live out our faith,
• Weekends visiting good friends and family, and being there for each other in times of need,
• And sooooooooo many more that I don't have time to name.

It's this daily march toward the future, loving God and others in work and leisure, that really defines a year. And I am so grateful for every person that God has put in my life, making those days seem to fly by.

So, for events big and small, 2013 was another fantastic year.

And now it continues, just with another number at the end of the date. Hello 2014. Let's do this.