Resolutions

It's so cliche' this time of year to set to work dreaming up impossible resolutions that are pie-in-the-sky, unattainable. They usually are broken practically before you have even had a chance to dive in. And it's been no exception here. This year, though, I am getting serious. I have dreams and goals. I have something to work for. I want no regrets. You see my goals involve my family. I am going to be more involved. Carve out more time. Not allow myself to be distracted. Enjoy. There will be moments, oh I know, that I may slip. But the important thing is getting back up and doing it all again. I have 3 very special reasons to get up and carry on.
Last year, I made a simple goal of getting everyone around the table...to eat. To talk. To share. And now, it seems to be a regular routine around here. And it feels so comfortable and happy to have this as a part of our daily life.
This year, I want to open our home more to others. To invite. To visit. To get to know people. Our "move" has been a bit lonely. We haven't made friends as quickly as we should. It's time to get a move on. To put ourselves out there and be friendly (even if WE are the new kids on the block, so to speak).
2012 will be a year of change for us. Getting and staying organized is become a more important goal for me. It's hard battling the constant clutter that can accumulate. So I'm organizing and trying to come up with a system that works for us all. Our lives are going to become more complicated this year. Our baby girl will be starting school in the fall. And with that comes the huge blessing that we will be at the same place all day. But with that also comes other things...obligations and involvement. Getting her involved in her church community. She'll be old enough for Adventure club...and children's choir (oh how she loves to sing!), and children's church. We'll have to switch from 1st to 2nd service at church so she can do these activities. We'll be meeting new families through all of this. I am excited by the prospects.
I'm vowing to have time to be creative...to sew, take pictures, paint, write some more stories, maybe I'll even get another story published. I want to waste less time. T.V. is a HUGE time waster for me. As is the computer. I can really get lost in the web...searching for great ideas, but then never taking those ideas anywhere beyond a folder on my desktop. That HAS to stop. I'm going to put some of my ideas to paper, to fabric, to prints.
I'm working on a special weekly project, documenting our year. Our little guys are changing so rapidly, I want to be able to look back, to savor this time with them. To remember the daily details. This photo/journal will help me to do that. So far I've gotten pictures nearly every day....and written in my journal. Some days it is just little jots here and there...little peaks into our life. Other times, its stories, funny happenings, what we ate, or other basic things. I'm saving receipts, so that later, when I'm paying $6 a gallon for gas, I can think about how wonderful it was "in the old days" when gas was only $3.35 (I'm looking at the glass 1/2 full!).
I want to stay positive more. To look for the best in others, and find it. To remember this quote I found the other day: "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes selves with everyone else's highlight reel." To remember that my highlight reel is quite possibly what someone else is looking at with envy. To remember that I am extremely lucky, no, not lucky, fortunate, blessed to live this life. To have two beautiful, healthy children. To have a supportive husband. To have a church family. To have extended family and friends. To be able to speak freely, to live freely. To have my heart's desire.
I intend to be more intentional about my prayer life. And my daily devotions. To not just blindly read the word, but to search, dig, and diligently seek answers, wisdom, and truth. To be devoted to praying for my friends and family on a daily basis. To ask for miracles of turning hearts of family and friends that have gone away back to God. To share my faith unceasingly with my children. To write it on their hearts. To talk about it when we rise up and when we sit down. To make it feel normal and comfortable. To fill their minds with Christian music. To teach them scripture verses and stories from God's word. To talk about the lessons the Bible has for us.
Yes, 2012 has great potential. I will have resolve. I will see myself grow. I may fall, but I will get up. I will reach and continue strong.