Looking on to the new year

As I take stock of the past year and what has transpired, I can only say that I am grateful beyond words. 2008 will forever stay in my memory as one of the greatest years of my life. I feel like I have accomplished more this year, grown more this year, and been blessed more this year than in any other time in my life. Since January I have gotten married, purchased a new car, purchased my wife and I's first home, and taken some major steps towards becoming debt free and changing careers so that I can utilize my degree. It's been a great year and one that I am very grateful for.

This year could have gone in the opposite direction quite easily. The car I was driving kept breaking down on me and costing me more money and time and frustration than it was worth. One day after a LONG day at work I was driving home and it quit on me. I called my family for help and they came. The car started up again and I continued my drive home. Three or four blocks later it broke down again...in the middle of an intersection, through which my younger brother and I had to push it into a near by gas station. I consider what happened next to be a defining moment in my life that helped shape my perception of situations we encounter in life. Red faced, drenched in sweat, panting, and holding back swear words...I did not speak. I refused to let a bad situation make a fool out of me. Previously in my life I would have thought that having to push a card made me look foolish, but now I understand that it's only letting the fact that you had to push a car ruin your day and losing control of your emotions that makes you look foolish. After a few minutes and a Gatorade I looked at my mom, who is ever the pillar of support, and said "Mom, I am done with this car." Note that there were no expletives in that sentence...a milestone for me in that moment. The house situation was similar. A short while after my new bride and I had set up the house we were renting and gotten everything just so, we noticed cracks in the walls. It came to light that the landlord had not taken care of a leaky pipe and house was in danger of falling in. We were forced to move out one month into a new year long lease. God used that opportunity and our faith in a bad situation to reward us with a great new house and place that we can call our own. It's pretty great.