Each New Year is a beginning; each day, each hour, each minute is a new beginning. Each is a gift from God that we do not deserve.  Instead of being attentive to the grace of the present year, day, hour or minute, we, many times, focus on our past faults and failures. We fail to see and appreciate what God wants to do in our lives here and now.  Sometimes, we even resist God, because we are afraid of the unknown. But he is the God of the present moment with a particular gift in the present moment.  Each gift is given in love. He wants us to receive the gift of his enduring love, calling us to become the fullest expression of who we are with love as our response. Lord, be patient with us for we are slow to learn and appreciate who you are and what you desire most for us. Help us to learn  how to begin anew, so we can live in you more fully.