Traveling the Rock Road

As 2019 draws to a close and we prepare for a new decade, I can’t help but reflect back on the many events that occurred this year. For instance, in January I was still semiretired and living on a tight budget. By year’s end I find myself fully retired, collecting social security, and still living on a tight budget. As my Lady and I prepared for our golden years, we had visions of numerous things we planned to do. Instead we find ourselves back raising children, which is okay, but still not the direction we had thought. Cathy comes to the end of a successful career with a wonderful company where she has enjoyed going to work and being with the people there, so much she will work part time the first quarter of 2020. Getting used to using Medicare over having health insurance has truly been an experience, still not too bad. Where I used to enjoy getting together with some friends and playing guitars till all hours of the night, I look forward to early morning coffee with other retirees. And speaking of guitars, I have some nerve damage in my hand that is making playing difficult these days. I have other health issues that have kept me sidelined more than I like but little by little I keep working my way back up. Perhaps the hardest part has been the number of friends we said earthly goodbyes to. From close acquaintances to dear friends, we lost some thirty folks dear to us this year; without a doubt the most of any years we can remember. I realize we’ve reached an age where that’s not uncommon. Still, it hurts. There have been many occasions I’ve found myself crying in the middle of the night when no one was around missing a friend, wishing I could have had one more conversation.

So, I suppose one could say its been a rough year for us here at the old Miller Manor. But through it all we continue on the one string we have and that string brings it all together. Faith. If I have said once I’ve said it a hundred times, I do not practice a philosophy but have a strong belief in the God who I gave my life to 47 years ago. Life here isn’t always fair and at times doesn’t even make sense, but the love of my Lord never fails and never stops.  1 Peter 1:6-7 in the New Living Testament reads like this, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your “FAITH” is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

Because of that faith, we pick up each day not knowing what is ahead but still willing to move forward, for we know God is on our side.

“God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.” C.S. Lewis

Will 2020 be a better year than 2019? Who knows! But as long as we have God on our side, we are more than willing to face it, and face it with joy in our hearts. And hey, I’ve become a pretty decent three finger guitarist! As for the many we’ve lost, well it hurts but again I have faith I will see many again. Even though I shed a few tears, that doesn’t have anything to do with my faith. Afterall, Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus knowing he would be alive again. But aside from being God, he was human  and the human side saw the sadness in the moment.

May you all have a tremendous New Year and may it follow through the year. But if it doesn’t, remember, the best is yet to come, in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Look forward to meeting up with you all here at “Traveling the Rock Road” next year.

See ya then!