A new year has begun, and we may have a whole range of thoughts and feelings swirling.
Perhaps the year has already gotten off to a great start. 
Perhaps new struggles have emerged. 
Maybe it felt great to turn the page on a new calendar. 
Or maybe we are feeling some anxiety about what 2024 may have in store.

Neill and I both had New Year’s Day off, so we took the afternoon to go see a few more towns on my list.  As many of you know, it’s become a personal goal/quest to visit all 169 towns in Connecticut and I have to actually do something in the town in order to cross it off my list.  Just driving through doesn’t count!  So we went on walks in North Haven and East Haven, especially focusing on the historic districts of those towns.  For instance, North Haven’s Green features an “ancient” burying ground, war monuments, and a gazebo (plus a cannon!)  East Haven’s Green also has a gazebo and a cannon.  Starting to think Colchester’s Town Green could use a cannon, just saying!

We eventually made our way to East Haven’s Town Beach.  The weather cooperated enough to capture a cool picture (if I do say so myself).  And it somehow seemed a fitting image to share in Thursday Thoughts as a new year has begun.  Darkness and light, sun beams and a bird in flight, rocks and water, though a bright blue sky breaking through the clouds in the distance. 

Welcome to 2024.

I hope that this new year has new places for you to discover, companions to make life’s journey all the better, and that you feel God’s love for you on both the cloudy and sunny days. 

Happy New Year! 

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Photo by Rev. Lauren Ostrout. 

Thursday Thoughts 1/4/24