Breathing Out (2012) and Breathing In (2013)

I think perhaps New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are my favorite holiday. We rarely leave our home on New Year's Eve and are often in bed by 10 p.m.; New Year's Day is typically camped in front of the TV watching our favorite sport - football. But these magical two days for me are like a deep breath inhaled and released. It's like a clean house. A new beginning. A letting go. A heart-felt "I forgive you." New. Wonder. Opportunity. Mystery. Adventure. That's 2013 for me. Tomorrow.

Today, I have memories. And here are a few of my favorite things from 2012.

Music:
Live Like That, Sidewalk Prophets
A Way to See in the Dark, Jason Gray

Books:
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp
Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee

Movies:
The Hobbit - oh how will I wait until next year for part two...might just need to do a Lord of the Rings marathon!
Lincoln - brilliant

TV:
Scandal - a guilty pleasure for this public relations veteran watching a smart, saavy crisis communications professional like Olivia Pope.
Homeland Season 1 - we broke down and got Season One (thank you ebay); it took a bit to get into but now I'm hooked.

Theater:
Fences @ DCPA
Memphis @ DCPA

Creative Pursuits:
Learned how to knit
Discovered the joy of spray paint
Zumba with Todd - it was creative and filled with laughter

Travels:
Banff, Canada
Calgary Stampede

Work:
Strategy and smart people...thank you GHX, what a great year!

Events:
Teaching the ODF Women's Retreat and leading the Saturday Bible Study
Defined By God Conference for pastor's wives (San Diego, Ca) - if you have the chance to hear Lisa Chan, do it!

Happy Memories:
Cheering on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos
Trips to San Diego to visit my parents
Finding a great tutor for Matthew
When Health Clean housecleaners rescued me
Putzing around the gardening

(Thank you Gary Mullins for your amazing picture at the Grand Canyon!)

New Year Resolve

 

New Year Resolve

by May Sarton

The time has come
To stop allowing the clutter
To clutter my mind
Like dirty snow,
Shove it off and find
Clear time, clear water.

Time for a change,
Let silence in like a cat
Who has sat at my door
Neither wild nor strange
Hoping for food from my store
And shivering on the mat.

Let silence in.
She will rarely speak or mew,
She will sleep on my bed
And all I have ever been
Either false or true
Will live again in my head.

For it is now or not
As old age silts the stream,
To shove away the clutter,
To untie every knot,
To take the time to dream,
To come back to still water.

"New Year Resolve" by May Sarton, from Collected Poems 1930-1993. © W.W. Norton & Co., 1993. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

Year-End Inventory

It's been several weeks since I blogged. My journey has been full of work assignments (always a good thing) and frankly I haven't had anything to say. But today I have been doing some self-employment tax planning, figuring out how to secure healthcare for our family in 2013 without bankrupting us or putting us at financial risk by not having enough or the right insurance, and so on, and so on.

And while I pondered these weighty topics I came across this blog by Barbara Winters, www.joyfullyjobless.com. Her latest post is about taking a year-end inventory -- exactly consistent with my type-A, list-obsessed personality. I actually already do something like this every year, in the same way that Todd and I have always done financial planning and goal setting around January 1.

So I share with you Barbara's inventory list and hope it provides you with some food for thought about 2012 and perhaps some prompts for goal setting in 2013: 

° What can you do now that you couldn’t do (or hadn’t done) at the start of the year?
° Where have you been that you hadn’t been a year ago?
° What have you learned?
° What problems have you solved?
° What has inspired you?
° How have you celebrated?
° What investments have you made in yourself?
° What new profit centers have you created? Launched?
° What new books have you read?
° What new connections have you made?
° What did you instigate?
° Which of your ideas are coming to life?
° What are you proudest of?
° Where have you made the most progress?
° What disappointments have you overcome?
° What unexpected gifts appeared?
° What would you like more of next year? Less of?

For the entire post: http://www.joyfullyjobless.com/blog/2012/12/end-of-the-year-inventory/

Go forth!

Thank you Renee at renee's FUNKY country for transforming my little clarion call of "I can do hard things" into this handmade treasure that makes me smile every time I head out to greet the world (it's hanging on my mud room door). I am praying that it is also a wonderful reminder to my husband and son that we "can do everything through Christ who gives (us) strength." (Philippians 4:13)

Against the Wind...for Diane

I know that I have life

only insofar as I have love.

 

I have no love

except it come from Thee.

 

Help me, please, to carry

this candle against the wind.

 

-Wendell Berry, Leavings

 

(A special thanks to my kindred spirit, and going on 32-years friend,

Diane who has lived this hot-wax-on-hand life of love

and who introduced me to Wendell Berry.)

Flesh Journeys



I have been on the most magnificent and challenging journey this past year. I could write a book on all I have learned about myself. I confess much of it has not been particularly attractive. Necessary however. I suspect there are fewer lines on my face; my furrowed brow is more relaxed. A few of the many bonuses to slowing down, way down. I realize that at any moment this all may change. But for now...

Confronting self is deadly. Amen! 

Stations of the Cross
Sacred Heart Retreat House
Sedalia, CO

Luke 9:23 - Amplified Bible

²³ And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [^[a]disown himself, ^[b]forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, ^[c]refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [^[d]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].

 

Psalm 139:23 - Amplified Bible

²³ Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

 

 

Exceptional in the Ordinary

"It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes."

Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
October 21