Reflections before the countdown

So much has happened over the last year, but at the same time, it's equally amazing how little some things change. I suppose we can continue holding on to the people we've always been if we so choose. Hence the resounding rhetoric in my head: in opting for familiarity, do we forfeit life?

Am I the same person I was this time last year? How much has changed? How much of that change has been for good? How many of life's trials have I overcome victoriously, having learnt the essentials? Have I come away a stronger, better person? How many of those trials have I failed, only to spend precious time continuing to grope my way through quicksand, never moving further, never growing?

I've gained many insights from 2008. There has been alot of chiselling going on (ouch!) and it has been painful... but necessary. I'm aware that I still have so much to learn. I pray that I will keep growing. I pray, particularly, that I won't opt for familiarity and that the boundaries of these four walls will be pushed further.