the calendar year is ending. in many of our minds we think back to what we have done thus far in the past 365 days, or try to project to the coming year, and what we should or should not do in the next year. as we celebrate a mark in time, we allow it to act as a yard stick in our life for things to come and things that have not. most find a mixed bag of emotions and accomplishments that seem like marks in a path or journey. boxes checked off in this progressing timeline of our life. chapters closed, new post placed, less this and more of that. promises that were broken and more that we plan to hold onto.

as we look back time allows us to see the pitfalls and accomplishments in a different light. from afar the choices we make tend to create other effects, ripples that seem perhaps seem heading in the right direction, progress or hope in areas that just moments before seemed so wrong. wrong and right, good and bad changing places like tragedy and comedy, blurring our judgement, twisting by our view of what came about and time shedding a softer light onto it. its perhaps one of the most endearing parts of age.

a twisted old oak tree stands in the distance. from afar it rises majestically on the hill, alone in its size and grace, there are few similar trees in all of the land. but if you ask the ones that live near it they will curse it. they will tell you how the twisted core and shape makes it unsuitable for building with or too hard to cut down for firewood. how its place far up on the hill makes it hard to escape to in the sun for shade. so it stands alone. unusable and unloved, but with these characteristics it is able to enjoy a long life and stand strong. the youth in the village marvel at its size and beauty now, some saying it is the best thing about the place. only the mean live long lives i remember, because god wants to collect and be with the happier and nice ones. good and bad swapping places depending on who or when you ask it.