Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...

...from everyone (including the dog Sage, a stray who found his Christmas miracle by running across the highway and into our family).

"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

Brian Andreas

Life, redesigned.

• Life, redesigned. 2011.

  
  

  

  
  

  “We spend January 1st. walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”       — Ellen Goodman

  I’ve always been a fan of New Years resolutions. Maybe it’s my constant desire for change, this organic force that continually compels me to approach life in a multi-angled fashion.

  A few years ago I traded in all my New Years ‘resolutions’ for one simple goal— live in the grace that God pours out for each individual day. In the last two years, each day brought a limited amount of experiences, a vast majority of them accentuated by a creeping fear of how they would impact my tomorrows. For 2009, I decided to let go of those fears and pursue living in the present— and that decision has changed everything.

  2010 brought me a new husband, a release of a ministry that was birthed from the deepest parts of my heart, a new educational pursuit, a new house, a new dog and a new life. It also brought death— to self, to unfulfilled dreams, and to a loved one very close to my heart.

  In the midst of the chaos, both positive and negative, I found a rare jewel. ~ Contentment ~ The paradox of contentment is that if you try to grasp it too tightly, it slips right through your fingers. Contentment is truly a byproduct of surrender. So this year, I am making *surrender* the foundation for which I build the rest of my goals.

  The underscore of all my 2010 goals and plans is the knowledge that I can only accomplish what God lays before me and empowers me to fulfill as I trust in the grace He has given me for THIS day and this day alone.

  Now with the foundation laid, I can focus on what structures to build. This is obviously a prayerful and fluid process. Proverbs 29:18 says that without vision, people will perish. After viewing a new friend’s blog, I decided to write out my goals.

  My vision for this next year is broken up into a number of categories that are important to me:

  • Spiritual, Marriage, Health, Family, Friends, Learning/Service, Travel, Education, Finances (Making, Saving and Giving), Writing,  Self-Care

  It’s been said that we overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can do in a year.

  Hence the important of year-long goals (and action steps to see them played out).

  I am also going to make an excel spreadsheet where I can keep track of my goals, among many other things— namely, an inventory of what I need to donate and the box of gift cards and coupons I’ve accumulated over the past year. Confession side note: I tend to hoard gift cards- they are very valuable to me. If you ever want to give me a gift, a gift card will be perfect :) BUT I digress..

  So the list is just a starting point. As I’ve seen more clearly this past year than ever before, curve balls will strike and sometimes it seems as if life hands you a sharp slap across the face. This is the nature of living in a broken world. Thank God for a Savior.

  Life can be difficult, but when the dust settles, it’s good to be able to take some time and evaluate the hard seasons as well, offering grace to myself and others for the process. So in the spirit of freedom and offering grace to oneself, I added self-care to my list because, as a counselor-in-training, I know how easy it is to get caught up in ‘helping’ others. Flight attendants don’t tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first without reason: if I’m suffocating from lack of air, I can’t help anyone else.

  Balance. balance. balance.

  With that being said, my prayerfully considered goals for 2011 are as follows:

  SPIRITUAL

  1. Consistent quiet time every morning - this place of centering helps me start my day with a deep sense of peace and purpose.

  2. Fulfill a commitment to pray for 20-30 minutes before the service at my church whenever in town.

  3. Deepen listening prayer experience (including a review of all Elijah House Basic I and II training sessions).

  4. Family fast January 11-30

  5. Meditate on scripture every day

  MARRIAGE

  1. Consistent date nights once/week

  2. Continue the tradition of praying together every day (morning and before bed)

  3. Pray for the grace to control my tongue :)

  4. Write our family manifesto together

  5. Worship together once/week

  HEALTH

  1. Run 12-20 miles/week starting February 1st (run 30 minutes 3x week until then)

  2. Eat at least one fruit and one vegetable/day (definitely a challenging goal for me with my current eating habits)

  3. Cleansing through juice fasting twice/month

  4. Complete the Warrior Dash in May. 3.2 mile obstacle course where you run through FIRE- yes please! 

  5. Run a half marathon by the end of the year (preferably Berry half marathon in March)

  FAMILY

  1. Family ‘date’ once/month

  2. Pray for family every single day

  3. Begin/continue praying for our future family (those little children someday :))

  FRIENDS

  1. Small group twice/month

  2. Friend date twice/month

  3. Girls night OUT at least 6 x year

  4. Discipleship group once/month

  LEARNING/SERVICE

  1. Volunteer at Wellspring once/month

  2. Learn to cook two new dishes/month

  3. Learn to sew and make two dresses and two bags

  ART/TRAVEL/CHALLENGE

  1. Visit a new gallery or show in Atlanta

  2. Make a trip to the lake - wake board more than once :)

  3. Take an art class before the end of the year

  EDUCATION

  1. Set study schedule and keep it (20 hours outside of class on a normal week, 30+ midterm and finals week(s))

  2. Pursue scholarship opportunities (send in application)

  3. Research publication options

  FINANCES (Making, Saving and Giving)

  1. Making- Part time job to cover graduate school expenses

  2. Saving- Save 10% of income

  3. Give- 10% to church and 5% of income to other ministries or non-profit organizations

  WRITING

  1. Update blog once/week (with ‘meaty’ entry of 200 words or more- update periodically with quotes and pictures)

  2. Write personal manifesto (less than 500 words)

  3. Submit graduate school paper for publication

  SELF-CARE

  1. Massage once/month

  2. Self-given manicure/pedicure once/month

  3. 24 hours alone once/quarter

  These goals seem practical enough. Through the exploration of discipline and commitment that inevitably comes with making and keeping goals, I hope to discover more about myself and the world around me.

  After all, the goal of life is to discover - beauty, truth, depth and new perspective…all weaved together in a foundation of unfailing love.

  “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” — Neil Gaiman