New Year’s Day

January 1, 2025

​​​​​As a child, I kept my crayons in an old fruitcake tin. My colors were usually broken, with dull points and peeled-down paper wrappers. They worked, but never as good as the new ones. That’s why I loved to get a new box of color crayons. 

When I opened the new box there was always a wonderful aroma and all the colors were whole and vibrant, with sharp and shiny points. Each new crayon had a tightly wrapped paper band that matched the color of its crayon with the name of the color written on it. The new crayon always felt new and crisp between my fingers. When making the first mark on paper, I realized it would never again be as sharp. I kept my new colors in their flip top box. It would be weeks before they’d join the others in my tin box.

A new pack of color crayons always inspired me. Why? Because its bright colors begged to be used. They seemed to say, “Imagine what you will you draw with me! I am better and newer than your old crayons in the tin box. I have better ideas, and I color better than they do. Try me! Let’s see what you can create with me.”

This first day of the new year is like a huge new box of colors. And like new crayons, there’s a newness and crispness to new beginnings. It’s as if the day asks us, “How will you live me today? I am brand new. Try me! Let’s see what you can create.”

Can you imagine who you will be next year at this time? Will you be spiritually more mature, wise, and loving? Or will you be simply managing or regressed? We cannot know what the year will bring or how we will meet its sadnesses and celebrations. But one thing is for sure: we have a bright new start today, even with new challenges and the ones carried over from last year.

The good news is that consciousness and the soul always bring substance to each new moment; they give a way to perceive and experience reality that saves us from hopelessness and despair. They provide a comfort beyond ourselves and our own making. That comfort comes from the direct experience of the Divine received by being present and living in the now. Each new now is crisp; even the shapes and the colors are vibrant. Living in the present, we are transparent to the spirit, how it moves, and what it reveals in every second. Because our soul is tethered to the Divine, our faith increases, and we meet whatever comes with strength and creativity beyond ourselves. 

For you, may this day and all the days that follow be new, bright, and full of new color. Try it! Let’s see what you can create! 

Joe