One morning last week, I took the time to make a pre-dawn visit to a local fast food drive-thru.  As I made my way across the empty parking lot, I noticed a young couple huddled up, looking into the locked eatery and holding what appeared to be a baby.  This was a very cold morning and no doubt one would wonder what the circumstances surrounding this visit might be.  A few minutes later after receiving my order, I circled back around to no sign of the little family.

This mysterious appearance/disappearance struck me as a contemporary reminder of another young family that found themselves on the outside looking in…or so it seemed. A moment of opportunity could be grasped or could be gone.  That fast!

As we make that transition towards the new year, may we (may I) find the resolve to embrace the couple in the cold, the baby they hold and the story to be told.  May that Gospel message find its way to the inside, the inside of our hearts.  From there, may we live it and give it freely in the days to come.

2024 holds fresh opportunities that we have never seen before.

God, give us the grace to maximize each moment for your Kingdom.  May Your blessings not stop with us, but flow through us instead.

And, thank you – for that reminder that some things (including You) never change!

And, to all – a most Blessed New Year!

• Wally