A new year???

A new year...a new beginning...what a pain...

I like new beginnings sometimes. It is fun to come to a stopping point and have closure with something. To finish the last page in a scrapbook (if that can be mastered) and close the book with a sigh of relief. To finish a good book and have a good cry that all ended well or not so much. To finish a season in parenting and realize you are done with that hard/easy/challenging/fun stage and move onto the next one. But a new year bugs me. It is right in the middle of my made up year, you know the 'school year'.

For me a new year begins in August. New school clothes. New shoes. A new season approaching. A round of fresh, new holidays around the corner. But a new year? It is right in the middle of winter. No new clothes to pull out of the closet. School is the same. Jobs are the same. Money is usually a little tighter come the 'new year' because of all the joy full giving we just did in the old year.

But yet we are to set new goals. Make new plans. Discipline myself so I am a better, new me.

I have tried to come up with such goals but I'm falling short. Instead I'm looking backwards. What did I try to do last year that I didn't master. That I didn't have closure on. All those things I wanted to do but didn't do. That is what I'm going to look forward to in this new year.

Pick back up my exercise routine; but since I hated running and never carried through with it I'm going to try swimming again. I use to love doing it and it actually brought me more results then running ever did.

Invite more friends over to eat dinner with my family. At one time we made a point to invite those friends whom we enjoyed being around but didn't see a whole lot of to the house; but somehow we got busy and stopped doing that. I want to make a point to have one family over at least once a month that we don't usually hang out with.

Rejoin a bible study. Lord knows (and He does) that I haven't finished one of those since before Elizabeth was born. Oh, I've started them but finished them???? =( That is a good goal for me...get back into a small women's group like I once was in and really have those heartfelt conversations about God and my faith. And would you believe 2 women have already approached me and asked if I would be interested in being in a small group study at night (with other moms). I guess God wants me to check this one off my list as well.

Make an actual budget each month for my spending to track where our money is going. Oh I've started this one many times but following through with it? Not so much! I'm going to try again though...I even went ahead and wrote down on a spreadsheet (well Nate helped with that part) how much I had to spend in different categories this month. It's a start in the right direction!

And of course those other things that I try daily to remember but often times fail but still try again the next day...don't yell at my children; sit on the floor with Elizabeth and play with her instead of just doing doing doing all day and not stopping to really enjoy her at this stage; watch for opportunities to point out "God sightings" as they are called to my children: those small times when you see God working around you or when you can call on Him - to teach my children to love and depend on Him as something that is real in their lives rather than just stories they learn about in the bible; to remember my husband's love language is physical touch & not ignore that fact; to not gossip even when it creates easy conversation; to be more friendly to those people in my life who are very unfriendly in hopes that they will soften up a bit; to have one on one dates with my sons; to make at least one new friendship with a woman who needs a friend this year.

So, I'm not looking at this 'new year' as a start over but rather a continued chance of being a better person and not giving up on those things that didn't get mastered last year. I'm not going to run out and get a new hair cut nor paint any rooms in my house...but I might clean out my closet again and finally get rid of those clothes that have lost their style and hang a new picture in my living room.

So here's to continued chances of living our best...and enjoying life as we live it for at least one more year!