Rejoice Always, 50 x 50 inch quilt, by O.V. Brantley, 2011. For sale at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ovbrantleyquilts.

I love the idea of a new year — a time when you can mentally wipe the slate clean and start over. A decision to change forces you to reflect on what is good and what is bad in your life. Obviously you want to keep the good and let go of the bad.

You are truly a lucky one if your reflections find more good than bad. If you are a lucky one, take a moment to rejoice that last year at  this time when you examined your life, you made some good choices. If your reflections find more bad than good, rejoice that you survived it and lived to make a change.

So today, I am rejoicing. The fact that today is my birthday only adds to the joy. In other words, Rejoice Always.