Years, months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes will all come and go whether we are ready for them to or not. While I am personally excited for this New Year to come, I recognize that others are far from ready. Today, I ended up watching church virtually instead of being there in person (I am out of town with the in laws). In the comments I saw a parishioner say that they pray for the courage to go into the New Year with hope. I am sure that there are many people that share that sentiment. When we pull the thread on that sentiment, we have to lean into the request to be brave. What prevents us from bravery? Fear. Why do we fear that we will lack hope in the New Year? What has life proven to us about being brave? About having hope? While we don’t want to dwell on fear, it is necessary to understand it. In this New Year I challenge you to lean into the fear and the reasons behind that fear. Be willing to look inward so that you can heal with change. Change is inevitable, so in this New Year, instead of just allowing the year change, allow yourself to change too! Allow yourself to FEEL & HEAL! So let’s start 2024 with a willingness to change by feeling and healing the pain that lives deep within. I’m Ready!