2023: New Beginnings

By Paul Roberts

I’ve blogged in this space before about how much I enjoy new beginnings, a fresh start, a clean slate. When my vocation was “high school English, Speech, and Drama teacher,” I loved the breaks built into the schedule. I didn’t always love the work that went into getting everything graded and student grades put into the gradebook by the deadline, but a fresh start every nine weeks and semester was something I really grew to appreciate. 

Now that I have left that schedule behind me (except for the fact that I am substitute teaching once in a while), and now that 2023 has begun, it is interesting to look at the ebb and flow of time and realize what events will shape my beginnings and my endings throughout the coming year. You are reading one of the things that puts shape to my life: a blogging deadline that rolls around once every week, rain or shine, every Monday. Along with a podcast deadline each Thursday night. Occasionally, I even get that “clean slate” feel when one of those tasks is completed.

But there are many other things I can count on to bring that “joy of a new beginning” feel. I so enjoy the fact that I live in a place where I get to experience the four seasons, where I can see and feel the first, fresh snow of winter - even if it comes in late fall. It won’t be long before the crocuses peek out in the front flower bed - even though there will still be several weeks of winter left on the calendar. I’m going to treasure each one of those season’s greetings.

The Christian calendar brings the seasons of Advent and Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, which have long been a part of who I am, even when I didn’t recognize the impact of those seasons on my life. The Christian calendar is full of fresh starts, new beginnings, from birth to death, to resurrection and anticipated return.

I have grown to enjoy Carol’s redecorating of our home for both the seasons of nature and the seasons of the church; I’ve even grown to enjoy my role in the process (Honey, can you bring all the Christmas boxes up from the basement?). It’s another thing that brings order to my life. A clean slate. A new look.

This coming weekend our Sacred Community Garden members are invited to join with us to create a vision board for the year. It’s a task Carol has done many times, but something that will be new for me. One of the expectations (hmm… expectations…that would work) is to come up with a theme for the year, if possible single word for the year, a word (I may have to use more than one) that will become a focus, that will be a landing spot, that will mean there is a new beginning each time I consider it throughout 2023.

I’m trying not to overthink this, but I’m also wanting to give it some very serious thought. As I look back on this blog, I see several possibilities…beginnings…fresh start…clean slate…seasons…anticipation…the process…expectations…vision…

If you have a suggestion for me, let me know before Saturday. Or maybe, if you have a suggestion for me you should join us from 11 to noon PST and create a vision for yourself and your creative gifts for the next year.

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Do you have a vision board theme suggestion for Paul, for yourself, or for anyone else in our Sacred Community Garden? Let’s brainstorm.

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