Indeed, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.
ISAIAH 42:9 AMP
Happy 2018! Most of the years of my life, I have stayed up to see the new year come in. Last night, I went to bed. You know what? I don’t feel like I missed anything. Most of the early morning news programs provided a recap of the celebrations. Plus, if there were anything special I wanted to see, I could record it. This year I was happy to cuddle with my husband in our warm bed.
I did say cuddle, because it is cold here. The last few days have been rainy, and this week the temperatures are below freezing. The windchill was 21 degrees Fahrenheit at my home this morning, and those temperatures are supposed to be lower tomorrow. I think it’s time to unpack my winter clothes. I can’t imagine living in an area where the weather is colder.
It is our tradition to eat black-eyed peas, collard greens, and corn bread. We save and freeze the ham bones from our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to put in the peas and greens. As the tradition goes, the peas bring coin money and the greens bring dollar money in the new year. My father taught me to eat black-eyed peas with ketchup. If you haven’t tried it, . . . well, try it! Of course, we know we don’t get rich from what we eat today, but it’s nice sometimes to keep traditions. This particular tradition reminds me of my paternal grandmother. She told me when I was a child that whatever you did on New Year’s Day, you would do all year. Every year we would do as many household chores as possible before the first day of January, so we wouldn’t be doing housework all year. It’s a little funny when I think of her sayings. She also swept out the old year. These traditions are kept by my siblings, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. When I went to the grocery store last week, I noticed a big supply of dried black-eyed peas, cornmeal, greens, and hot sauce. So, we must not be alone in our area.
While it’s important to keep and pass on some traditions, we shouldn’t get stuck in the past. It’s just a place to visit from time-to-time. C. S. Lewis once said “[t]here are far better things ahead than any we leave behind”. God will make all things new, but His words will still be here (Matthew 24:35). So, if anytime in the new year you feel like the world is spinning out of control, turn to God’s word.
However you chose to bring in 2018, just know that this year will be unbelievably fantastic! God bless you!
