2023:A New Day, a New Year,

What I Learned in 2022 and What I Want To Learn in 2023.

"Alone" by Andrew Troyer 9"x12" on canvas board

Every day begins with morning light. One of my recent paintings(above); "Alone" reminds me, not only of a new day but of the new year we are in.

Why do we, at the end of each year, look back and reflect on the year just past? I believe it's beneficial in order to evaluate how we spent our time and energy. This helps to assess and evaluate priorities and values. Doing so then helps us face the new year with new resolve.

My reflections on 2022 are focused on family, spirituality, and my new love for art; my journey of learning to draw and paint. Here are a few of my thoughts.

What I Learned in 2022

Life Is A Cycle

Life is a cycle, and that cycle has a physical beginning and end. We are all appointed a time to be born and a time to die. I experienced the joy of seeing a grandson born to our family at the beginning of the year, and the loss of my mother-in-law at the end of the year. It was a personal reminder of the cycle of life. A second thing I learned in 2022 is that;

Life Is Precious and Short

I am becoming keenly aware of this truth the older I get. Being mindful of the cycle and brevity of life we are in causes me to want to make the most use of each day. I see each day as precious. What a joy to spend time with grandchildren, and see their smiles and observe their different milestones of development, knowing that every day or moment spent with them is an investment in their lives.

This past year many have witnessed the passing of loved ones and friends. We lovingly remember them for their character and what they did in life. But to be honest, most of those memories are short lived, and life goes on. What do you and I want to be remembered for when we are no longer here? Can I be honest with you? Except for close loved ones, we will be forgotten when we are gone. All our accomplishments in career, educational endeavors and successes in social status are meaningless and will, for the most part, be forgotten. So where can we invest our time and efforts so as to make a difference in the world?

What I Want To Learn in 2023

I Want To Be Empowered In My Relationship With God

My word of the year for 2023 "empowered". For more information on how to choose a word of the year see my previous post. I want to be empowered in my relationship with God, because the only thing that matters in life and will last is God's kingdom. When Jesus was on this earth and was teaching a crowd of people He talked about this very thing. He told them '

'Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. ' Matthew 6:19-20 https://my.bible.com/bible/1713/MAT.6.19-20 

Physical things are temporary and have limited endurance. What is of more value is investing in people; whether it's parents, family, friends or others in society. There is more to life than perusing things that will not last. Therefore as a follower of Jesus, I am choosing be more proactive in how I will invest my time. For more on what Jesus did and said you may want to look at the section entitled 'what we can learn about our spiritual health' in my previous post Lessons From 2021.

Being impowered in our relationship with God will mean consciously spending more time in the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading and prayer.

I Want To Be Empowered to Develop New Friends and Relationships

This is a personal goal I have for this new year. I'm realizing, for reasons discussed above, that I will do better by spending more time with others. This may include family, church relationships, and expanding my contacts in the art world. Spending time with others is an investment that has eternal rewards.

I Want To Be Empowered to Boldness In Developing My Artwork

My artwork began in April of 2022 and I have immensely enjoyed the process. For 2023 I want to further develop it by connecting with others in the art world and exploring different styles of art . This journey I am on has been challenging but also rewarding. Having an ability to create art was somewhat of a surprise to me. I was looking for something new to do in my retirement years, and my daughter gave me a gift to attend a 6 week drawing class last year. I loved it and give God all the credit for what he is doing. I am still new to the field and have much to learn. If you are interested viewing my artwork for 2022, here is my online Gallery of oil paintings, photography, and pencil drawings. Prints of my work are available, as well as some of the originals.

Have a great new year and be well and stay healthy!