In the book, "Life is Messy" by Matthew Kelly, there was this powerful true story by a friend he knew in Australia who knew two siblings: a brother and sister. The sister's name is Clare, and the brother's name John.
Clare grew up in Australia before moving to the United States and getting married. Each year, she saved every penny she could to go home to Australia for a month with her son. During that month, she would visit her relatives; she especially looked forward to spending time with her brother John.
John loves his sister and would do anything for her. But year after year, the sister who returned was different from the year before... and very different from the sister he remembered growing up with. After several years, John decided he needed to do something or say something, but he didn't know what. On the last day of Clare's visit that year, he invited her to take a drive with him. They drove around for awhile talking about lots of things, and then John pulled the car over to the side of the road. Turning to his sister, he told her how much he loved her, that he wanted her to be happy, and he shared how he was growing more concerned each year with how her life was unfolding. Clare's eyes began to fill with tears.
“You just don't seem happy, sis!” he said. “You are less and less of a person each year.” Clare just sat there as a single tear escaped her left eye, ran down her cheek, and splashed on her thigh just below the line of her summer dress.
“You deserve to be happy, sis!” John continued and Clare nodded knowingly. “I don't know what to do or say, I just wish I could help you, but I think this is something you have to do for yourself."
Clare finally spoke saying, "I just feel stuck, lost, angry...
"I know you do," John empathized with her. "Just promise me you'll do something different this year. I know Mom and Dad and your friends all have their opinions about what you should do, but I am not going to get into that. Only you can decide what it's going to be. Just change something. I'm not going to tell you what you should change. Just promise me you will change something. Take some time to think about what you need to do, and then, just flip that switch. Promise me."
Clare nodded and cried some more, and now John began to cry too. But the conversation itself had already flipped a switch for Clare. She knew what she needed to do, and a very different Clare returned to Australia the following year.
Have you ever wish this year would be different than last year? Maybe you have something in your life, for too long you wanted to change, an old habit perhaps you wanted to break but you seemed stuck, lost or indifferent you don't want to go out of your comfort zone. Or maybe we are waiting for that perfect timing, the right moment or circumstances, or the stars to perfectly align, if only I win a million dollars or get that dream job of mine or wait til I'm no longer busy with my schedules, only then I will decide to do this or that. If you are, I don't think you'll hold your breath for it.
As we begin this 1st month of the new year, let us offer up to our heavenly Father whatever our interior struggles are and ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace to change something this year, whatever it is. Let us pray for the courage to make the change, flip the switch, whatever it is we need to do, just do something different this year, most importantly, do and give something back for the Lord. To borrow Matthew Kelly's frequently quoted words: "Our lives change when our habits are change."
Excerpt from My Community Exhortation 2022-1-23
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