new beginnings.

I am a sucker for anything vintage. I like old things, old-looking things, and even old people. More often than not I would take old over new. 'Old' to me represents things that are comfortable, lived-in, and unchanging. However, today I am choosing to embrace the new. I am not a huge fan of change, but I am working every day to be more accepting of it. So many new things are entering my life. A new year, a new semester, new goals, new classes, new friends, new perspectives, new decisions, new information, new opportunities, new responsibilities, new everything!
The talk that I have been studying over and over again to help me on this journey of becoming a better person and embracing change is entitled "The Best is Yet to Be" by Elder Jeffrey Holland. If you have a moment, please read it. It offers an eloquent perspective on change and the role that faith plays in the process of accepting and even loving the inevitable changes in our lives.
He opens this talk with the following statement,

The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been. I don’t want to talk about New Year’s resolutions, but I do want to talk about the past and the future, with an eye toward any time of transition and change in our lives—and those moments come virtually every day.

-Elder Holland

I love this.
As we head into 2012, I would hope that we are doing so with much excitement about the treasures the Lord has in store for us, and that we recognize this new year as the true blessing it is. The blessing of a fresh start and opportunity to be better instruments in the Lord's hands.
Part with 2011 with gratitude for lessons learned, and welcome 2012 with a gracious and hopeful heart.
Cheers to the new year!