Hope you (both of my readers) are having a great holiday season. The new year is always such a cool time because of the renewal of hope it brings for most people. It's as if we feel like we have a new slate to write life on. Hope your new year inspires you to great things and brings you many steps closer to your dreams.

I read an interesting story yesterday. I was reading the Atlanta paper on the internet as I do every morning (how else can a Georgia boy in TN keep up with his favorite teams?) Anyway, the story shared that the man who won the Michigan lottery in April, 2005 died this week from a heart attack at age 43. Left his wife with $125 million but...no husband. Think she'd trade every bit of it to have him back? I'd like to think so but, in our society, you never know. However, the story reminded me of a refrigerator magnet I've seen many times. It reads, "Just when I get it all together, I forget where I put it."

Put yourself in that man's shoes a year ago. He's worked all his life trying to get it all, to accomplish that dream of having everything he wants. Who knows how many lottery tickets he had bought over the course of his life while waiting for his ship to come in? Think about all those feelings he had this past 20 months--paying taxes, finding new family and friends he never knew he had, getting some cool things he'd always wanted and, surely, buying many things he never really needed in the first place. Now, put yourself in his place the first 5 minutes after he's gone. Can you imagine what he felt? Honestly, I can't. Was he angry? Was he sad? What was his relationship with God? Did he get to heaven and find out that all he had could not compare with all he was about to receive? Or, was his destination hell, where he would gladly trade it all and much, much more in order to have another chance to get it right?

I want you to think for this reason--you and I have the unique ability to "do over." You know what I'm talkng about? Like in the back yard basketball game when you make a mistake and you simply say, "My bad, let's do over." We get to do that. As long as we walk this earth, we have the distinct pleasure of starting every day new with a God who allows "do overs." All we must do is ask for his grace, receive his forgiveness, repent of those mistakes and move forward. We can "do over. " But only with Him and only by His grace. I know "Mr. Lottery" would do it all over again if he could. Who wouldn't? Honestly, who wouldn't choose to have a second chance to love deeper, live better, dance longer, sing louder or to make their life count for more than just a statistic in their 70+ years? I know I would. Perhaps you would too. And you can. Here's hoping your New Year is every thing you dreamed, everything He planned. And remember, you don't have to have the lottery to have it all.