{"id":462,"date":"2016-12-31T13:34:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T21:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=462"},"modified":"2017-07-07T17:34:24","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T00:34:24","slug":"ok-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/31\/ok-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"OK, New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" \/><br \/>\nOk, let\u2019s celebrate yet another rotation around the sun.  But can we be serious for a moment? Out of the other 364 days why is this day the one that has importance in our celestial journey?  Is there a particular spot in the galaxy that was designated by past cosmologists which would forever be known as the starting\/finishing point?  The Chinese and the Jewish people have different days for their cosmic journey; but we all travel the same path over the same duration of time. <\/p>\n<p>While I\u2019m at it, who was the brilliant person who convinced us to make a series of promises to clean up our act for the upcoming days and months after a serious night of celebrating through over indulgence and mass debauchery?  Waking up in the morning with a mouth as dry as the desert, a head feeling like a pumpkin in the spin cycle, and no clue how your wrist watch got on your ankle would make any normal person to rethink their life\u2019s aspirations.   <\/p>\n<p>Here is what I know from experience. Tomorrow you will wake up and the path of your life, already determined by the many small decisions and copious thoughts over your life time, will continue onward unabated.  Change or no change will happen simply because you decided to permit it, unless it comes as a traumatic event beyond your direct control.  However, regardless of whatever you intend in whatever circumstance you encounter, one thing is constant and unchangeable.  You are greatly loved and adored and there is absolutely nothing you can ever do to change that, period. Let this be the starting and ending point for your upcoming year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ok, let\u2019s celebrate yet another rotation around the sun. But can we be serious for a moment? Out of the other 364 days why is this day the one that has importance in our celestial journey? Is there a particular &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/31\/ok-new-year\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-7s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4607,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/17\/exodus-as-awakening-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":462,"position":0},"title":"Exodus as Awakening Journey","author":"mike","date":"March 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"M3:Week 3: Preparing for Passover's Revelation Day 3: Exodus as Awakening Journey Today's Veil to Pierce As we continue preparing for Passover's revelation, we now contemplate the Exodus as an awakening journey\u2014the collective movement where grace pierces Maya's veil of bondage, transforming apparent captivity into the realization of eternal freedom.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2590,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/16\/spiritual-tools-part-five\/","url_meta":{"origin":462,"position":1},"title":"Spiritual Tools \u2013 Part Five","author":"mike","date":"December 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you realize it or not, everyone is on a journey towards spiritual enlightenment. Many travel the path intentionally, while others only experience it when they cross over with their last breath. For those of us who are serious about reaching for all that we can spiritually achieve in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2022 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2022 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2022\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2551,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/29\/the-rear-view-mirror-drive-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":462,"position":2},"title":"The Rear-View Mirror Drive Home","author":"mike","date":"September 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Nobody ever gets to the place they\u2019re going by continually looking backwards. Even in a church service. Back in the days before there were cars, people who built roads which connected the various communities always laid out the road in a winding fashion rather than in a straight line. Today\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2022 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2022 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2022\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2902,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/17\/too-old-for-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":462,"position":3},"title":"Too Old for Church","author":"mike","date":"November 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. 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