New Year

Selamat Tahun Baru!!  Happy New Year, ya'll!  How is it going for you so far? A little bit cold? Hahha. It is gorgeous and sunny and very, very green with a big, bright blue sky...I am loving it.  This is going to be a pretty fantastic year. Can you feel it?  I am so excited to see what this year brings.  I am sure there will be lots of growing and stretching, but hey, I am not going to change into anything awesome without quite a bit of stretching.  God has great things planned for you too.  Just talk to Him about it so you go down the right path. And listen to His voice.  He knows what He is doing.

We had a nice family Christmas.  Lots of laughter.  I have the best family ever. We have so much fun together.  Right now we are approaching the end of our three week break. Wow, it went fast.  But it was so good. All of the kids went home to see family.  Most will be coming back Monday, a few on Tuesday.  School starts Tuesday morning.

One thing we always do as a family is write out goals for the year.  We look back over the ones from last year to see how much we changed.  This has been a big year for me.  Yes, lots of "events" took place, such as turning 40, but the biggest has been within me.  My perspective, my approach to each new day is completely different.  I wake up every day with a choice.  I can walk around holding out my "troubles" waiting to dump them on the people I encounter so they can feel a bit of what I am going through, or I can be aware of those around me and the load they are carrying and help  them. I can serve instead of waiting to be served. I can be joyful in the midst of crap instead of waiting for the circumstances to change first. I can say "Yes" more.  I can know when to say "No." I can laugh more. I can compliment more. I can enjoy these fleeting moments instead of missing them. I can have a living relationship with the God of the universe, every minute of every day. These are my choices. They are mine to make.  Those around me are not dictators of my mood or my reactions.  No one is to blame for my attitude except for me.

So, I feel like all of that is the first step on a long staircase.  I am on a journey to keep walking up.  But I have a long way to go.  It is not drudgery. It is not a chore. It is exciting. I am in a good place now of working through these things but I don't want to stay here. I want to continue on, keep listening to God's voice , keep moving up.  So, here we are. It is January 9th.  These are some of the goals I have for the year.  How about you?  You have a brand new, fresh year laid out before you.  What are you going to do with it?  It is a great gift.  Don't let it slip by the same as last year.  Do something remarkable, something that will matter in the life of someone else.  Something that will change you in such a dramatic way that you will never be the same.  This is the year.

Love