It was about a week before Christmas.  I was just leaving my parent’s house after a short visit.  My mom and dad walked outside with me as I made my way to my van.  It happened that the mail truck had just passed by.  My parent’s mailbox is the kind that is on a post at the street, so the mail carrier drives by and puts the mail in the box.  My mom opened the box and retrieved a small package.  She bent over a bit and peered into the box looking for more.  There was no more mail.  Certain that she was supposed to get more mail, my mom shouted “Yoo hoo!” at the mail truck then turned to my dad and me and emphatically told us that there must be more mail.  “I always get more mail than this” she declared.  “Yoo Hoo,” she repeated as she beckoned to the retreating mail truck.  Turning back to us, she suggested that one of us chase down that mail truck because, dog gone it, she was expecting more mail!

Yoo hoo!

Life doesn’t always deliver what we expect, does it?  Oh – sometimes what we get is better.  Like the unexpected sale price on a special purchase.  Or a bigger paycheck.  Free dessert.  Or an “A” on a test when we were expecting a “C”.   Many times, what we get is much worse.  Medical test results that say the cancer has come back.  Or the inflated car repair bill that was supposed to be a small easy fix.   How about when you unwrap and bite into that carry out burger and discover it was put together all wrong and they forgot to hold the onions?

Now here we all are at the start of a new year.  What do you expect the New Year to bring you?  Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?   If you are like me, you will probably agree that most New Year’s resolutions simply go in one ‘year’ and out the other.  Ha!   Besides, most people look forward to the New Year simply for a new start on old habits.

I think we are all in the same New Year’s boat in the fact that we all want to lose weight, improve ourselves, maybe learn a new skill, clean out the basement, become a better person, and have all things honky dory happy.  But in our desire and quest for all things good, we must be prepared for things to not always go as we expect.  And that’s okay.  Because maybe God has a better plan then whatever we could think up. Or if things don’t go our way, maybe we just can’t see the whole picture of what the final outcome will be.  And if we are simply frustrated because we didn’t stick to the diet, well, that is a goal we can start working on new every day.

I think I shall try to face the New Year, armed with these words from Psalm 5:  Hear my cry for help,my King and my God, for to you I pray.  In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.  There is no better way to start the day then with a chat with God.  He wants to hear from me.  He wants to hear from you!  If we lay all our requests before Him, what then do we have to worry about?  To be ‘expectant’ means that you are feeling or waiting for something to happen.  Talk to Him when you wake and give the day over to Him.  Then expect something to happen.

So, why not try starting each day with a “Yoo Hoo” to God?  He’s waiting to hear from you.  And know that however it is he answers you, that His plan is always perfect – even if you don’t get what you expected.  You might get something even better.

Yoo Hoo!

just Laurel