I'm a little behind this year already! Takes talent~it's only day 4! Normally, I spend New Years Day reflecting on the year past and plotting my course for the coming year. I decided to just spend New Years Day kickin' it with Tyl and Jayden and a good thing it was, too! My time was better spent enjoying the company of my family. I haven't made resolutions anyway for at least the past few years. I am having more revelations than resolutions! I have realized over the years that my list of goals remain fairly constant. The things that are still relevant and valid for the person I am today get carried on to the next year. Goals that were a passing fancy tend to drop off. Don't take this to mean that every year I write the exact same list because I never do any of it...I do. But, some goals I have come to see as lifelong processes. Other items just take a long time to work into all the other stuff we call life: working, caring for a home, running errands, having a family, paying bills, etc. Some examples are things like spiritual growth, education, health habits, exercise, writing, travel, time for hobbies and interests. Clearly, I am making progress along a continuing path. I am working on the consistency of my prayer and devotional life. I have been exercising regularly. I am going to Weight Watchers. I am continuing to do school. This year I am one year closer to my Masters degree. No need to resolve anything. It is a realization that these behaviors need to continue and to be fine-tuned and improved upon as possible. Standards need not be set ridiculously high since I have learned that slow and steady wins the race. I have learned to pace myself. I will get there eventually if the pursuit is a worthy one and part of that which abides and not that which comes and goes.So, I am making the transition between 2008 and 2009 much like walking across this bridge. It has been a natural progression.A continuation of the same journey.
Today at church we talked about putting the past year into three words. My three words were: Loss~Acceptance~Progress. That pretty much sums up the main phases of the year 2008. Not a bad year. I got my feet under me. I got going. Now I feel that I have good momentum to carry me ahead in 2009. Corporately as a church we discussed three words: Simple~Focused~Relational. We discussed these words in the context of our mission as a church community which is to love God and love people. Pastor Steve just talked about letting go and simplifying in order to prioritize how we spend our time, attention, and resources. To keep focus and to not allow ourselves to lose sight of the two key goals of loving God and loving others. This should be the point of just about all we do. In the area of being relational, this means not only within our own VP community but in our own families, to our neighbors, coworkers, community and whomever God brings across our paths in the process of life. Pretty clear, concise directive for 2009 I would say! Easier said than done. I am going to challenge myself this year to keep that mission in the forefront of my life: LOVE GOD & LOVE PEOPLE!
1 comment:
Hi Lana, first of all, I LOVED your beautiful picture of the bridge. Then as I read your piece, i felt my heart dance. That's when you know writing is good, you practically breath to the unconscious flow and rhythm of the writer's sentences. it all seems to come so easy for you, but then, how could i know? making the difficult seem easy, you got skills...(a cliche, i know)
when you came back to the bridge, i felt this recurrence like everything tied in so surprisingly yet so neatly. how does one manage to do both in writing? in one sentence, yet? i enjoyed your dwellings and appreciate how you can walk along the path of the meaningful and the long term, I guess that's how God is, no matter how the world changes, He never does. and it's those who know him best, who are able to live it spontaneously, without effort.
Loveya!
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