I’m a sucker for all the year-in-review lists that pop up at this time of year. I’ll read with glee those wry month-by-month summaries of the past year like Dave Barry’s annual column, or those annual lists of the worst movies of the year (or ever made, which will no doubt be rejiggered to include this stinker). Maybe it’s because as the calendar year winds down we’re all prone to a bit of reflection before we dive head-first into our regularly-scheduled lives again. Or maybe it’s because I like to measure the opinions of others against my own. Or maybe it’s because I’m supposed to be writing a book, which means I’m easily distracted by the endless buffet of Buzzfeed quizzes (“I’m Melanie from Gone With The Wind! I knew it!”) popping up in my Facebook feed. Year-In-Review lists often fit this category, but I think they can also serve as a bit of a Selah as we take some time to consider what we’ve gained, what we’ve lost, and who we’re becoming as our lives move through time. They can also become matters for prayer or action.
So, in the spirit of “if you can’t beat `em, make a list of your own”, here’s my own two-part review of the year.
Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pilgrimsroadtrip/2014/12/bittersweet-2014/#ixzz3NK6y64ih