Happy New Year!

It's Easter, the "new year's day" of the Christian calendar, and just in the knick of time for me. As a point of trivia, I read somewhere (sorry, no link and spotty memory) that this is the 2nd earliest day that Easter can possibly take place (Mar 22 is the earliest), and that Easter won't be this early again for some 200+ years. More importantly to me, this is one of those years when my school's spring break matches up with the Easter holiday (we get Good Friday plus the next week off). As a matter of principle, I prefer the years when you get a week of spring break separate from a Friday+Monday Easter weekend off, but this year I NEED the break.

As of this writing, my world has come off the rails a bit. I missed 12 consecutive days of my daily Bible reading in March, my prayer life is in shambles, and I have barely run a step (and therefore couldn't run well, if I even wanted to, which is also iffy). I also just cleared the usual half-dozen books off my bedside table, with the knowledge that I haven't read a page of any of them in weeks. So a week to get back in order is just what the doctor ordered. I NEED to read, to run, to keep up with my personal disciplines, or I'm just not OK. Lately it's been work (at maybe 80% effectiveness, it feels like), hold down the couch, and fall into bed for not enough sleep (all too often with the help of Nytol or a gin and tonic). It ain't easy to be a control freak when you're not in control. (It does help that I have the best wife in the world to take care of me in funks like this--I can't be easy to live with). My best friend is moving away and my last month of track season has been one giant rain-out.

But then comes Easter. And with it, a reminder that this station is temporary. Every Sunday I find myself during communion bowing my head and asking God for a fresh start. But Easter is the freshest of starts, and a week without work is the icing in the cake. I've jogged a couple of 2-milers since getting off Thursday, and I've stayed current on my Bible reading since last week (I may never go back and pick up what I "missed" in the book of Numbers--with no offense intended to Moses or the Holy Spirit, it's not the best page-turner in scripture). During this week, I hope/expect to get "back on my game." Not through my own strength of will, of course. I think we've established that my best sometimes isn't good enough. But at the rock-bottom of a spiritual valley, it finally becomes possible to turn to God. And He provides... sometimes a much-needed break in the calendar, or a change of the weather, or a family gathering on a holiday, or a message in His word (almost always a Psalm). Or all of the above.

I really don't know how some folks make it without faith. I couldn't. Thank God for Easter. Happy resurrection day!

Sorry to be depressing--I promise that sometime this week I'll get back to money management, politics, and US history trivia.