An End and a......?

It's New Years Eve.  A time to say goodbye and, hopefully, a time to look forward towards a fresh slate.

I could talk about some changes I want to make to my blog for the coming year.

I could talk about the joy I felt in shopping for clothes today, prompted by a gift card from my mother in law, and finding that I could fit into a size I thought, just a mere three months ago, that I would never fit into again.

I could talk about having to fight again to have that sidewalk near my house, in front of a 800,000. flood-ruined building, cleared of ice and snow by the county that has taken possession of the property.  The battle against winter gets harder each year.

But I won't.

Instead, I want to talk about a blogger in her 20's, who fought a battle against breast cancer for almost all of her adult life.  She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer when she was 21. Her name is Bridget Spence and she lives in Boston.  The end of her journey through life is near. She asks the blogging community to let her go, so she can complete her journey.

I had just found out about her, via another blogger, and now I must say goodbye.  Four days ago, she wrote her final post.  If you go to her blog, don't just read her final post.  Read the comments.  This is one woman who impacted many, many lives with her courage, her spirit and her dignity.

I rarely get religious in my blog entries. Bridget thought of this portion of Matthew 6 when she wrote about her sister in law getting ready to give birth, knowing she might not live to watch her niece grow up.  This is taken from Matthew's description of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:

          “That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life

           And what you are to eat, nor about your body and what you are to wear.
           Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing!
           …Can any of you, however much you worry, add one single cubit to your span of life?
           And why worry about clothing?  
          Think of the flowers growing in the fields;  they never have to work or spin;
           Yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes  was clothed like one of these.
           Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field…
           Will he not much more look after you, you who have so little faith?

           So do not worry;

           Do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?”
          
          " So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.  
           Each day has enough trouble of its own. “

I was humbled by reading portions of her blog.  It was a good way to end this year.

May the upcoming 2013 be good to the world.