2013- The New Year-Celebrate!

I wrote on resolutions last year and woefully broke even the easiest ones. I had hoped others would challenge me to do what I said I would. It didn't work that way. Life got busy and I did whatever was most urgent, whatever was before me. I did meet some goals and had some successes. It wasn't that life was stagnant. It was so busy with everyone's demands. 2012 wasn't what I had hoped it to be. I didn't enjoy it like I should have. Even though I did what I felt I was called to do and did have some success, I lost some of the joy. I let my activities consume me.

This year in 2013 as I was reflecting and thinking about the new year ahead, I decided to think on a few words and to let them guide my year. My first word was Challenge. I don't know what that means. As I figure that out, I will write about it. I am not sure if I will be challenged or I will challenge myself or if life will be a challenge in general. Whatever, whichever it will be will be interesting. I anticipate it.

The second word that came to me was Celebrate! That sounds more fun! It came to me that so much of life is going from crisis to crisis surviving whatever loss, hurt, or sadness comes our way. And they will come our way. But rather than wallow in despair when faced with those things, I want to find the other good things in life and celebrate! There is so much in life worth celebrating. God continually told people in the Bible to celebrate, to have feasts, to comemorate things. God delights in us finding joy. When we celebrate, we remember things that are important to us. We celebrate with family, friends, and others. We share our joy. I look forward to finding ways to celebrate.

Celebrating, finding joy can be so simple. We have played games in the evening. We have challenged each other with WII. We have enjoyed sharing our days at a good sit-down meal. We lit candles at the dinner table. We sipped sparkling apple cider in the evening. We listened to old tapes by Ronald Reagan. We made plans to remodel, rebuild. We prayed together. Some celebrating will be more elaborate. We will have a party. We will cook special foods and have guests over. We will travel somewhere. However it happens, we will celebrate life, love, relationships. Crisises will come, but they will not overshadow the celebrating. We will find the joys of our hearts no matter what the new year brings.