Monday, January 01, 2007

Irony

I've spent the last week trying to "prepare" for the New Year. I like to have my house clean, the January groceries bought and a menu made, my Christmas thank you's in the mail, etc. etc. None of that happened. I began to think about how much stuff I've planned for that didn't happen. I thought about it so much that my New Years to-do list continued to go unaccomplished. I did a couple things, but not nearly what I wanted to do.

I was excited about the New Year beginning. My local Angela began her mat leave and once the Christmas bustle unbustled we were going to have until Jan. 22 to hang out in the day-time daydreaming about her twins, enjoying my girls, growing deeper into our great friendship. We got together on Dec. 30 for a girl's time. All the boys were at her house watching a UFC main event so we did the girl thing at my place. We were talking about all the things she was planning for, all the utopian ideas one gets while one is pregnant about the babes growing inside and what life will be like, the things we are planning to get back to the top loop of the rollar coaster of life.

At the end of our conversation it was determined that no matter how much planning or preparing we do, God will inevitably throw a "wrench" in it. For example she planned on getting pregnant, but not with twins. And we planned on having our kids but didn't know life would get turned upside down after each one was conceived. We were talking and working through some of our expectations and came to the conclusion that it's okay when things don't go how we plan cuz the Big Guy has it under control.

So for a bit of irony, Ange had her twins 10 hours later.

I hadn't been online much because I had my local Ange to talk with at any time and she was able to take care of her kids inside so they were all quite portable. But now, she's going to be in the hospital for a week, and her babes for longer, and then they'll have to adjust to their new life. Which begins my first unexpected event of 2007. I don't think I've experienced a friendship change once babies arrive, that is a new experience for me.

So as I sit here and think of how to 'wish you a Happy New Year', I'm completely befuddled what to wish. I know that when we look back on the year no one will say it went exactly as we envisioned. There will be great surprises and not so great surprises. Planned events, and unplanned events. Happy times and sad times. Summer highs and winter blahs. I think that instead of wishing you a happy one, I wish you a Content New Year. A peace that will sustain you through whatever waters, and I wish the same for myself.

2 comments:

Jen said...

It's true. I posted awhile back about how things would have gone if everything went as I planned. In retrospect, my plans were crappy and I'm glad things turned out as they did.

Content New Year Amanda!

Anonymous said...

It is very true that God has plans and we have plans and often the two aren't the same but it is really cool when you look back and realize that some of what you planned must have been what He planned because it happened! Often the next event that isn't the same as our plans keeps us from recognizing that the previous plan we had made did line up with God's plan - like you and Nick planned to have your babies and God planned for you and Nick to have your babies - and at about the same time you planned. So just because the turns in your life right after the babies were conceived were different than you had planned, two of your plans lined up with God's plans - cool, eh?

So for a contented 2007, lets look for the plans we made that lined up with God's plans!

And pass my congratualtions on to Ange & Rory!!!!

Talk to you later.

TTFN
Mom