The List
I'm a list person.
I love lists. I make lists that cover errands to run, groceries to buy, people to pray for, goals to accomplish, weekly objectives for my kids, chapters to write and meals to prepare. If I end up doing something profitable during the day that wasn't on my list, I add it to the list for the sheer joy of crossing it off! Seeing things in writing motivates me towards accomplishment, more so than simply knowing it ought be done.
So here we are, well into January and I am once again pondering the merits of resolutions. After last year, I have decided that rather than officially declare my New Years' Resolutions...I will simply make a list of all the things I need to do in 2010.
Here goes (If you're even remotely interested that is...)
10) Build a home. And I don't mean the bricks and mortar stuff...although I don't put anything past my husband anymore. I'm just talking about making a home out of a house...unpacking the suitcases that have been packed for nearly a month now and starting to live out of (gasp!) dressers and closets. I mean locating the toys my kids haven't seen since March and the winter clothes that have been packed away since we left for Hawai'i...settling in for a while(okay, for at least 6 months)...establishing a place we can call "home." I guess this one starts with simply deciding where our family is going to set our roots for the foreseeable future, figuring out how we are going to pay the grocery bill and what exactly we are doing with our life.
Yikes. Perhaps I should just quit right here.
9) Re-connect. With friends, family, acquaintances...and Canada in general. Invest in relationships - new and old- in a more intentional way.
8) Successfully, and least painfully(?), make the transition from a family of 4 to a family of 5. Only four months to go in prepping for that one. I am certain my kids will do fine...it's me I worry about. I definitely need a new game plan...my husband thinks we simply need to move from a "Man to Man" to a "Zone" defense approach. Personally...I'm sure I'll be running more than a few "Hail Mary's."
7) Keep 2009 alive. It's important to me that our family doesn't leave Hawai'i on the Big Island. Aside from the few pounds of sand I smuggled home in my suitcase, I want our family to remember all we learned while we were there. I want to live differently because of our experiences last year, and I want this year to be richer because of 2009.
6) Be thankful for the small things; like public health care, the freshness of new seasons and the ability to turn on the oven without transforming your home into an unlivable sauna.
5) Recognize each of life's circumstances as a chance to either glorify self or glorify God. And along with that...I really want to be someone who takes every opportunity to give the deserved glory and praise to God by how I react to said circumstances. Feel free to hold me accountable to this.
4) Be vocal about the miracles in my life. I guess this goes along with #5...but I want to "Remember" in a way the Israelites did not...and I want all those around me to know just how much God has done, is doing and will do in my life.
3) Begin a new adventure with more faith than trepidation. I know it's coming. Those of you who know my husband know it's coming. God has more in store for us this year and although we may not see the full details of that just yet...there is change ahead and I desperately want to handle and navigate it with grace and meekness. Through it all I pray I come out a "suitable helper" to my husband; that he would know without a doubt that he can depend on me to support any dream or calling or crazy adventure. And I pray my kids would see a Mom who is faithful to follow the Holy Spirit's leading...and who seeks out wisdom "like you would search for lost money or a hidden treasure" (Prov. 2nlt).
2) Write more...take my work outside of it's current boundaries. I have no idea how to reconcile this with #8...or #3 for that matter, but Lord willing I can take some of the next steps I need to in this journey of encouraging and challenging other moms.
1) Get a new bible. With wide margins. I think I will be able to gauge whether or not 2010 was a good year by the state of my bible on December 31st. I hope to mark it up completely...and see the binding near falling apart from so much use. Feel free to keep me accountable to this one too.
Oh, and one more thing (without going into negative integers)...
I want my kids to be healthy, happy and whole. I want this year to continue to build a foundation of love for Jesus and the desire to serve Him with their lives. I want to faithfully pray for them, read with them and talk with them about God's involvement in our life and how much he has done for our family...I want it to translate into a personal desire, even at an early age. And I want to ensure my husband ends each day beyond grateful that he married me...and in joyful awe of the life we have together.
SO that's my list. Are you exhausted yet? I am...and imagine in a few months when I'll be back to the "up every three hours" routine. Ugh. In any case, now that The List is in writing, I better get a move on 2010. If there is anything I learned from 2009...it's this:
Time's a wasting!!
I love lists. I make lists that cover errands to run, groceries to buy, people to pray for, goals to accomplish, weekly objectives for my kids, chapters to write and meals to prepare. If I end up doing something profitable during the day that wasn't on my list, I add it to the list for the sheer joy of crossing it off! Seeing things in writing motivates me towards accomplishment, more so than simply knowing it ought be done.
So here we are, well into January and I am once again pondering the merits of resolutions. After last year, I have decided that rather than officially declare my New Years' Resolutions...I will simply make a list of all the things I need to do in 2010.
Here goes (If you're even remotely interested that is...)
10) Build a home. And I don't mean the bricks and mortar stuff...although I don't put anything past my husband anymore. I'm just talking about making a home out of a house...unpacking the suitcases that have been packed for nearly a month now and starting to live out of (gasp!) dressers and closets. I mean locating the toys my kids haven't seen since March and the winter clothes that have been packed away since we left for Hawai'i...settling in for a while(okay, for at least 6 months)...establishing a place we can call "home." I guess this one starts with simply deciding where our family is going to set our roots for the foreseeable future, figuring out how we are going to pay the grocery bill and what exactly we are doing with our life.
Yikes. Perhaps I should just quit right here.
9) Re-connect. With friends, family, acquaintances...and Canada in general. Invest in relationships - new and old- in a more intentional way.
8) Successfully, and least painfully(?), make the transition from a family of 4 to a family of 5. Only four months to go in prepping for that one. I am certain my kids will do fine...it's me I worry about. I definitely need a new game plan...my husband thinks we simply need to move from a "Man to Man" to a "Zone" defense approach. Personally...I'm sure I'll be running more than a few "Hail Mary's."
7) Keep 2009 alive. It's important to me that our family doesn't leave Hawai'i on the Big Island. Aside from the few pounds of sand I smuggled home in my suitcase, I want our family to remember all we learned while we were there. I want to live differently because of our experiences last year, and I want this year to be richer because of 2009.
6) Be thankful for the small things; like public health care, the freshness of new seasons and the ability to turn on the oven without transforming your home into an unlivable sauna.
5) Recognize each of life's circumstances as a chance to either glorify self or glorify God. And along with that...I really want to be someone who takes every opportunity to give the deserved glory and praise to God by how I react to said circumstances. Feel free to hold me accountable to this.
4) Be vocal about the miracles in my life. I guess this goes along with #5...but I want to "Remember" in a way the Israelites did not...and I want all those around me to know just how much God has done, is doing and will do in my life.
3) Begin a new adventure with more faith than trepidation. I know it's coming. Those of you who know my husband know it's coming. God has more in store for us this year and although we may not see the full details of that just yet...there is change ahead and I desperately want to handle and navigate it with grace and meekness. Through it all I pray I come out a "suitable helper" to my husband; that he would know without a doubt that he can depend on me to support any dream or calling or crazy adventure. And I pray my kids would see a Mom who is faithful to follow the Holy Spirit's leading...and who seeks out wisdom "like you would search for lost money or a hidden treasure" (Prov. 2nlt).
2) Write more...take my work outside of it's current boundaries. I have no idea how to reconcile this with #8...or #3 for that matter, but Lord willing I can take some of the next steps I need to in this journey of encouraging and challenging other moms.
1) Get a new bible. With wide margins. I think I will be able to gauge whether or not 2010 was a good year by the state of my bible on December 31st. I hope to mark it up completely...and see the binding near falling apart from so much use. Feel free to keep me accountable to this one too.
Oh, and one more thing (without going into negative integers)...
I want my kids to be healthy, happy and whole. I want this year to continue to build a foundation of love for Jesus and the desire to serve Him with their lives. I want to faithfully pray for them, read with them and talk with them about God's involvement in our life and how much he has done for our family...I want it to translate into a personal desire, even at an early age. And I want to ensure my husband ends each day beyond grateful that he married me...and in joyful awe of the life we have together.
SO that's my list. Are you exhausted yet? I am...and imagine in a few months when I'll be back to the "up every three hours" routine. Ugh. In any case, now that The List is in writing, I better get a move on 2010. If there is anything I learned from 2009...it's this:
Time's a wasting!!
Comments
Anyway, lots of love to you in 2010.
I loved your list for 2010! It was so encouraging and inspiring to me all at the same time. God definitely has great things planned for your family this year and I am excited to watch them unfold. I will be praying for you guys. I wish we lived closer!!!
Melissa