Expect the Unexpected

by Jennifer DePriest

I started this piece well before the New Year arrived, prior to the submission deadline, of December 16th. As I sat down this morning to finish what I started, the weight of my chosen topic really hit home. While the storms that came through our community on December 16th caused an enormous amount of unexpected damage, the love and support that all of the members of the community are offering to our citizens, is truly at the heart of what my original intentions for this month’s piece were to begin with, and for that reason, I decided to stay the course with this topic.

As we welcome in the New Year, many set out to pen resolutions that they hope to follow, however, Robert Burns’ quote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” echoes through my mind this morning. As we journey through life, it is important to remember that unexpected things can and will happen. It doesn’t mean we need to dread life or start viewing everything from the perspective that our glass will always be half full, it just means that we need to be aware of this fact. I have always tried to look at the unexpected and ask, “What can I take from this to help others,” as opposed to “Why me.” When we do this, when we embrace the unexpected, no matter what that may be, and find a way to see the positive in the situation, it lightens the load we are carrying tremendously.

So in this New Year, when faced with unexpected twists and turns of life, expect the unexpected. Expect miracles, and remember, it is in the unexpected that we grow as individuals and cultivate our character. It is in helping others that our lives can be enriched, and in doing so, we could be the very miracle that someone else may desperately need.

I hope that 2020 is filled with many unexpected blessings.

XO,
Jen