Reflections on 2007

It just hit Dec. 28th...crazy. I cannot think of a year in my life that was so torn between "good" and "bad." Relationships filled with growth, but also very strained. Business growing very successful, but throwing a couple of "curveballs" at me that left me needing to take a large step back for a whole month. Poker (my main hobby) leading me to the largest losses to date (into four figures several times), but ending the year with a huge upswing that left me up a great deal by year's end. A spiritual journey that seems to be going in the right direction, even as I still feel lost in a "dark night of the soul." The future looking so promising and obvious, but somehow filled with more and more huge question marks.

When I was in college, I used to meditate on "Be still and know that I am God; I will be glorified among all the nations" (and the last part of this verse is really the point of the first!!), and that would be enough for me. One day, I hope that this verse will speak to me in a parallel (not "same") way.

In 5 years, I am not sure what I will think about when I look back on 2007. I have been pushed near to what I consider my breaking point in several ways this year, and I'm still around to be reflective about it...I guess that's got to be a good thing. When I was in college, I used to sing to the Lord, "Prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and tried; with thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You." Part of me as a hunch that this year was part of an answer to this prayer of my heart; after all, God's got a funny way of answering our prayers in a way that we really don't like...even when it's the exactly the way that our prayers need to be answered.

In the end, to everyone reading this, I hope you had a great Christmas, and I wish you a wonderful celebration of the New Year. All the best in '08!

Peace,Greg

P.S. Here's an excerpt from my latest correspondance with my business contact database: In my last Service For Life newsletter (which was just placed in the mail a handful of days ago), I included the following personal update, and I wanted to share it with those who don’t get my hard copy newsletter (and, of course, if you do not currently get snail mail from me on a monthly basis and you wanted a free subscription to my Service For Life newsletter, just e-mail me your mailing address and I can make sure that you won’t miss a single issue in 2008). If you get my Service For Life, you can stop reading now. :)

Here’s what’s new in the world of Your Real Estate Ace: I apologize for not sending out a Service For Life last month. I had such a strong February-October that November offered me a chance to “downshift” a little and to reprioritize my life for a few weeks, focusing a great deal on both marriage and R&R. Real estate-wise, I serviced my listings to the best of my abilities and narrowed my focus to a handful of buyers, but I left the less urgent matters related to my business to the side for a few weeks. In the end, it was actually a great time of soul-searching and goal setting for my life, both as a Realtor but, more importantly, as a person striving to understand how to live as a Christian man in this crazy world. During this time, certain situations have caused me to take stock of my (usually blatant) shortcomings and failures, while others have caused me to be more thankful for my strengths and successes. In the end, I am very thankful for this Christmas season to remind me that 2,000 years ago a Man entered the world offering forgiveness and giving new Life…and to be worshipped in all the world. When I was 22-years-old, I thought I understood this; now, having just turned 28, I am not sure that I ever really did (or that I ever truly will). Either way, I am glad that it happened because, at the very least, it is all the evidence I need to know that God has chosen to engage His creation and the people in it in a relationship that is as real as it is mysterious…and that can’t be a bad thing. :)