Steve Halama

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”

~J.R.R.Tolkien

And here we are, the end of one leg of our life’s journey and the start of a new one. I understand that it is an artificial construct of sorts, that today is no different than yesterday simply because I now have to remember to write an “8” at the end of the year when I date things instead of a “7”, but I welcome opportunities to reset, to reassess, and to recommit to those things that are important.

No resolutions of the standard variety for 2018. Today is simply, though significantly, a day to state once again my priorities and to use this last day of vacation before returning to work to set my feet on a firm foundation towards these priorities.

They are few, but oh so important: Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness. When I set out I hadn’t intended for it to be The Four F’s, but there you go. If 2017 taught me anything, particularly with the recent passing of my mother-in-law, it is that there is something to be said for staying true to those things that are most important. For me that starts and ends with a personal relationship with Jesus. From that foundation my goals for 2017 include making sure that I spend more quality time with family and friends, that I make wise choices with my finances and that I am prayerful and purposeful about addressing the needs of the poor in the giving of my time and my money, and that I am responsible about what I put into my body and what I do with it so that–as far as it depends on me–I am healthy and active for years to come.

My absolute favorite memories of 2017 include:

Playing games with family and friends (particularly over the Christmas holiday)
Sharing our favorite vacation spot with friends as we celebrated his and my wife’s birthdays
Meeting my first grand nephew, Parker
The hard work and resultant joy of helping to put on Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 5
Discovering new Youtube channels that inspire adventure, promote activity, and teach easy but yummy new healthy recipes
Meeting my first grandchild…of the canine variety…Ambrosius (a three year old Great Dane)
The second annual October “Lamberson” camping trip to Knob Noster State Park (much warmer this year)
Running on Landahl Park trails
Seeing the children of friends grow up and continue college, go on missions trips, start their first jobs
Several sitting-around-the-fire nights, chatting and relaxing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed some good books, movies, and television shows in 2017 (as you can see on my latest Favorites post) and some of those experiences have been wonderful shared experiences with people I love. But the things that stand out, even more so as I get older, are the moments of getting out and doing things and/or spending time with people and just enjoying one another.

2018 will be the year that I see my wife turn 50 (March 21st) and I spend the next 8 months, to the day, harassing her about being older, until I join her at that milestone. I intend to celebrate that birthday with the best spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health I’ve ever had. I have no doubt 2018 is going to have its share of troubles, especially in the world at large, and those things have to be met with faith and courage and trust. There is little I can do to control much of what goes on. I can only attempt to make wise decisions with what I do with my time at work and at home, with the way I use money, and with what I eat and drink and making sure that I do some sort of daily activity, even if it is just a short walk.

That all is very doable. The rest is in God’s hands. I look forward in 2018 to being a better steward with what I have been given.

May we all do the same in 2018.

Happy New Year everyone, I hope my year is filled with news of your joys, victories and triumphs, be they big or small, and I hope I can be there for you in the way you need during those times where life takes an unexpected, and not very welcome, turn.

Whether we are ready or not, it’s 2018. Here we go!