Happy New Year! It's the first day of 2013. A fresh start. A new beginning. Some people start off the year with resolutions... things they want to accomplish during the next 365 days. Me, I'm not really a resolution kinda gal. Why, you ask? Because I usually don't follow through with them. So, I choose to not declare them and if I don't follow through, then, hey, that's OK. Can any of you relate to this line of thinking? I do admire those who make resolutions and keep them... And I have set one goal for myself that I plan to execute. And I feel hopeful about this goal because it has built in accountability AND a reward for following through. Those things keep me motivated, that's for sure!!
Quite frankly, I could make a list of resolutions and have the entire year planned out and there is no guarantee that any of my plans would come to fruition. That can be frustrating... unless we choose to trust in God and acknowledge that His plans may not be our plans. That's why Jeremiah 29:11-14 is resonating with me on this New Year's Day. It says:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.[a]” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2029:11-14&version=NIV
Don't you love how Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that even if our plans don't come through, that God knows the plans He has for us? And His plans are to prosper us, to not harm us and they are plans for hope and a future. That is some good news! This is definitely something to be thankful for.
So as you embark on your journey into 2013, know that God has plans for you this year. Plans that are unique for you. Plans that are good. Be on the lookout for where He's leading you. Be flexible if His plans don't sync up with your plans... because His plans are best, even if we can't see it at the time. And be confident that God surrounds you each and every day as Psalm 139:5-6 promises:
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20139:5-6&version=NIV
Walk into 2013 with expectation and enthusiasm. God's got big plans for you. God's got big plans for me. God's got big plans for each of us... and we just need to follow His lead one day at a time.
Tonight, I am thankful for...
1. A fun and relaxing New Year's Eve get-together
2. Good friends to ring in the New Year with
3. Finger foods
4. Games
5. A rowdy game of Spot-it
6. Kids playing and having fun
7. Sleep over
8. Relaxing day with friends
9. Traditions
10. Jeremiah 29:11-14
12. Matthew 6:34
13. My parents not getting hurt when the bus they were riding in was involved in a wreck
14. The wise driving of the bus driver
15. God's protection
16. Safe arrival for my parents
17. Booby traps built by a three year old
18. The joy my three year old gets from building booby traps
19. My seven year old playing a new game with his friends
20. My goal for 2013
Here's to 10,000 reasons... Only 3,098 to go...
I am thankful for:
ReplyDelete1. The beauty of the Rose Parade
2. fond memories of working on a Rose parade float and seeing the finished floats - many years ago
3. Cal Poly's tradition in the parade
4. staying in my pjs all day on New Years - what a relaxing day
5. my husband's tasty chili
6. my husband driving my daughter around the last two days
7. time to appreciate the last days of my son's visit before he returns to school
8. playing the new Nancy Drew game with my daughter - I suspect everyone!
9. laughter at dinnertime
10. God's love, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
I am thankful for...
ReplyDelete1. Ruth 1:16-17
2. Ecclesiastes 3:1
3. Romans 12:2
4. Jeremiah 29:11
5. Cloth diapers
6. The sound of 3 waking girls
7. Chocolate raspberry jam muffins
8. Sleepovers
9. Traditions
10. Friends that encourage me to be more godly
11. Honest conversations
12. Friends who love God
13. New steak knives
14. Boneless wings at Buffalo Wild Wings
15. Onion rings at Buffalo Wild Wings
16. An afternoon nap
17. A daughter who is excited to wear "underwear" tomorrow...time to jump on the potty train!!
18. A baby boy who loves bathtime
19. A day of so much football!!
20. Time with God after kiddos are in bed for the night
21. Reflecting on 2012
22. Excitement for God's plans for me and my family in 2013
23. God's word
24. God's promises
25. God's patience with me
26. God's goodness and faithfulness
1. Resolutions
ReplyDelete2. Change
3. Leftovers
4. Learning to say No
5. Pain
6. Kleenex
7. My Smoking Hot Wife
8. Learning new skills
9. Sweet Tates
10.Crock Pot Chicken
11.Having a Gameplan for 2013
12.Toothbrushes
13.Bluetooth
I am thankful for: (list includes things I take for granted)
ReplyDelete1. having fun in the snow w/ my family.
2. building a snowman w/ my kids.
3. being able to do kid things in my grown up self.
4. catching up w/ my neighbor while our kids enjoyed the snow.
5. hot chocolate after a romp in the snow.
6. movie night on couch.
7. my husband enjoying a movie he didn't really want to watch.
8. popcorn.
9. Victory Weekend at church in which my daughter participated as a result of her decision to be baptized earlier in the year.
10. finally celebrating Christmas with my extended family.
11. giving gifts that get a good laugh.
12. appetizer / snack food.
13. sledding at Christmas get together...once again acting like a kid!
14. seeing my parents.
15. snuggling with my Mom. I'm never too old for that luxury!
16. safe travels to family.
17. spending time w/ my sweet nephew. If it wasn't illegal I would steal him and bring him home with me. Love that kid!!!
18. having a low-key day at work.
19. getting a lot accomplished at work.
20. trying a new recipe.
21. trying a new cutter for icing designs.
22. snowflakes. A reminder of God's love for the unique and His infinite infinity. Does that even make sense?
23. very low-key new year party w/ friends.
24. hearing stories of other people's childhoods. Very enlightening and entertaining.
25. safe travels on New Years Eve/Day.
26. kids having fun w/ their friends @ the party.
27. starting the new year out right...sleeping in.
28. my kids actually sleeping in.
29. staying in my pj's all day.
30. getting Christmas decos down...my living room looks so much bigger.
31. getting signed up for the Triple Crown of running. Who knows...I might develop a good habit.
32. seeing how much progress a young friend has made over the past 8 years.
33. reflecting on the past 8 years w/ our young friend.
34. a hot shower.
35. clean windows.
36. clean sheets.
37. freshness of a new year.
38. reflecting on the old year.
39. music.
40. coffee
41. the joy my kids have over the smallest things.
42. the imagination of my kids and seeing the effects of said imagination.
43. being able to laugh in the midst of sorrow.
44. being able to return kindness so many have shown us during our struggles.
45. my friends who are so much more than friends...they are family.
46. grocery stores...so I don't have to milk the cows, collect the eggs and mill the flour myself.
47. photo Christmas cards. Even though I'm not industrious enough to get them done myself, I love and appreciate receiving the ones we get every year.
48. the positive response to my new rendition of the calendars I make every year.
49. watching an old cartoon.
50. devotions every night w/ my kids.
my list cont'd...apparently I wrote too much for one post.
ReplyDelete51. new flavors.
52. the five senses so I can experience the world in a multitude of ways.
53. colors...especially bright ones!
54. reminiscing while putting away the Christmas ornaments.
55. plans w/ my sister.
56. cameras.
57. soap.
58. prayer.
59. my house.
60. a car to drive.
61. my cake student/friend/mentor/family.
62. bedtime chats w/ my kids.
63. sunshine.
64. different design I see in things that give me ideas for cake decorations.
65. the strength of others in rough times.
66. plungers.
67. dishwasher.
68. trash pickup.
69. garbage disposals.
70. slippers.
71. easy return process for a defective gift.
72. God's reminder that if I do my best He will bless the effort.
73. doctors.
74. indoor plumbing.
75. veggies after too many sweets.
76. a new water bottle for my workouts I will be doing. :)
77. lotion.
78. razors.
79. peace and quiet.
80. personalities that make us who we are.
81. finding a new way to get the kids through their showers/routines faster....a stopwatch in their stockings. "Mom, see how fast I can..." LOVE IT!
82. being a Mom.
83. sunrises/sunsets.
84. seasons.
85. technology.
86. organizing things.
87. fresh laundry.
88. new pants.
89. new CD for Christmas.
90. a new calendar.
91. ability to problem solve.
92. animated movies.
93. reading aloud to my kids.
94. pictures that capture the sheer essence of someone's personality.
95. laughter.
96. eating icicles.
97. lemon scent.
98. freshly cleaned house.
99. medicine.
100. being able to see thankfulness in so many things thanks to this experiment.
101. learning to develop a new, positive habit.
102. making plans.
I am thankful for:
ReplyDelete1. chicken
2. a good day in court today with people who care about people
3. conversations on tough topics without people being offended
4. Proverbs 1 and 2
5. Philemon
6. a new printer to take to the office
7. Martha's recovery going well
8. Flo's surgery going better than expected
9. heat on cold mornings
10. spending time with SB even for just a little while
11. pizza (that is from SB :-)
12. text messaging technology
13. grace
14. forgiveness
15. people who are trying to allow God to take over their lives
16. that God takes over our lives
17. feeling better today
18. connecting with an old friend
19. my dad's help in driving Rachel to practice today
20. a good sermon illustration
21. our church elders
22. phillip and susan b.
I am thankful for :
ReplyDelete1. Warm clothes
2. Hats to cover lazy hair days
3. Sunshine
4. Sunglasses
5. Frig/freezer
6. Stove/oven
7. Washer and dryer
8. Indoor plumbing
9. Windex
10. Clorox clean up
11. Lysol
12. Gain laundry detergent
13. Fabric softener
14. Deep freezer
15. Salt
16. Pepper
17. Garlic
18. Lemons
19. Apples
20. Oranges
21. Broccoli
22. Onions
23. Coconut oil
24. Special K strawberry and chocolate cereal
25. Low fat milk
26. Bananas
27. Spring mix lettuces
28. Citrus balsamic vinaigrette dressing
29. My double kitchen sink
30. Toaster oven
31. Microwave
32. Popcorn machine
33. My cozy reading chair
34. Fuzzy fleece blankets
35. Giant storage tubs
36. Sharpie markers
37. Encouraging emails
38. GOD's provision
39. Prayer discernment of leaders
40. The DC study
41. The couples small group
42. Raisin cakes :-)
43. Open honest friendships
44. Learning the lesson to lean on GOD for all my needs not people.
45. Second,third, ect.... Chances
46. Elephants
47. Rainbows
48. Faithful husbands
49. Faithful wives
50. People who appreciate humor.
51. People who make me laugh.
Bonnie Lawrence
I am thankful for:
ReplyDelete1. God's faithfulness
2. Biblical truth
3. my accountability group
4. mentor/mentee relationships
5. a hilarious song at aerobics
6. clean floors
7. how God has taught me to let unimportant things go
8. a long talk with an out of town friend
9. Godly wisdom at just the right time for someone I love
10. mystery and intrigue figured out with my daughter - oh yah, we solved the Nancy Drew game
11. getting my son all packed up for tomorrow
12. 2 weeks with my son for Christmas break
13. Pastor Richard's excellent influence on my son's life and his continual outreach to him
14. Bonnie's list - especially the raisin cakes!
15. husband's safe travel to cold, snowy Indy
16. Amazon, and the boots that arrived in the nick of time
17. the ability to smile instead of get angry at some totally inept service that's been going on for over a month.
18. missionaries who serve all over the world
19. God's love persecuted Christians
20. a letter with news of a remarkable family who adopted 3 older children this past year
I may be a little behind, okay, so I'm a month behind...but, my Franklin Planner will save the day...or month! So, in Decemeber I was thankful for(I'm going paragraph form because there will be 300 reasons...you don't have to count(or read them all, lol), I already did!
ReplyDeletefixed computers, contracts on broken computers, swim meets, healthy kids, watching Eliza do an AMAZING job as Ursula in her play, the joy of watching Jonathan watch his first play with no fear, sugar cookies, elder dinners,friendships,Youth group at Adventure and all that it fills Katie up with, Debra Eichenberger and all of her great, crafty ideas for the little guys in 252, that my old man can still skate like a champ and score goals to try to keep up with his boy, hockey season, no injuries, Koko Fit Club, a 'perfect' workout, my brother in law and his ability to motivate me, Elizabeth Lenihan, The Brave study, our dog Chloe, milk, water, really long,hot showers, Kroger, the smile Jonathan gives when he says, 'I want bacon', my Dads back getting better, Erin at Occupational Kinetics for the great job she's doing with my Dad, a visit from Torri, a huge project finished, oil changes at places that take competitors coupons, being able to be at home to help my Daddy when he needs it, being home...period. Cars with heated seats, Dr. Bee, help from friends who have 'been in our shoes' with adoption, the book 'Parenting your Internationally Adopted Child', Kristi Thompson, Sam Thompson, Katie's love and devotion to her brothers, ugly holiday sweater day, finding the Christmas Memories Book online, Chloes Dr. Proffitt, photographs, cameras, memories, sales, a husband who loves his family, allergy drops instead of shots, Poinsettia Delivery day, watching a mother and daughter reconnect through God's grace, time with Mom's and Dads I haven't seen in a while, Jakes dedication to his Senior class, Christian Academy, Cranapple juice, crackers, and how happy they make my 5 year old!! Nights with swim and hockey practice, being a short order cook and loving it(finally), Carol Shutt and her 'eye' for decorating and sales, Richard Mosqueadas offer to help us plan Jake's 18th Tool Time Party, Rosie Turners cake making abilities, neighbors who still invite each other over, an amazing swim coach(Amy Albiero), finishing a registration that was a pain, USB's, Vietnam Veterans, my cousin Joe, giving out gifts that people don't expect, time with my Momma, the hope I will never let go of that a cure for Alzheimer's WILL be found in my lifetime, the love of Christ, the Bible, my Dad coming to let Chloe out for me, a flower shop in Texas volunteering to go shopping for me for specific items to put in a gift basket for our friend Seans 18th birthday,that unbelievable customer service still exists, Hobby Lobby, teachers who listen to their students, baskets for Bibles in almost every room of the house now, Bible study 'brunches', chapel, the pure joy and thanks that comes from celebrating a child overcoming things kids shouldn't have to go through, and finding happiness and success after so many painful years, the love of friends, Christmas lists, footed jammies, Morgan Clemons birthday, the nurses at Meadowview, the amount of times I 'get to' go to the grocery each month, a savings account, Gods timing, car seats, seat belts, Friday nights, a planner to keep me on track, book stores, video cameras, Christian music, Christmas music, Christmas lights, kennels, the ACT(100)
A great church service(as usual), home hockey games, naps, Bekah Burczyk and her love for our kids, that I know the kids are always safe and comfortable with her, including little man, an amazing Tool Time Party to celebrate Jake's 18th, people who love him, people who truly lift him up, watching him 'take it all in', watching him listen intently to the advice that was given to him, watching him cry, crying with him, Ginny Crowe for sharing the idea of this party with us, Stu Perry, Buddy Howard, Richard Mosqueada, Becky Wiley, Sandy Case, The Shutts, Coach Lucas, Darin Long, Julie Long, Mitch Julien, Susan Julien, good food, catering, Rosies DELICIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL cake, comfort, love, sharing, laughter, respect, knowledge, Psalm 28:7, the prayer wall in the kitchen, good ice, reflection, journals, answered prayer, unanswered prayer, fun, pranks, surprises, gifts, blogs, 6 months of being home with Jonathan, Katie's ability to sense when her friends need help, Wednesday night worship service, dinner with Bob and Bonnie, listening to Jonathan sing along to the worship music, the sticky gooey guy Bob got Jonathan out of the gumball machine that kept him occupied during worship service, Cadence, Cam, baby Ava, crosses, Christmas cards in the mailbox, the line at the Post Office(haha, just seeing who's actually paying attention), talks with my Dad, Dr. Tran, carpooling, the excitment of the Christmas season, framed artwork, Christmas cards with pictures, taking a birthday lunch to Jake, celebrating his and Cath's birthdays together for the 17th year in a row, family parties, craziness, time with my cousin Whitney from California, wrapping gifts, printing Taylor Swift tickets, the amazingness of Mr. Clean erasers, Madison, IN, time with Carrie Parr to catch up, a day with Susan, laughter with Renee and Jane, a new friend in Cindy, lunch at The Downtowner, grilled cheese, potato soup, iced sugar cookies, secrets, cute shops, new ideas, hearing Susan Bells laugh, safe travel, the silly fear we all have of the Madison bridge caving in, show-n-tell, NCAA volleyball with Whit, watching Michigan almost beat #1 ranked Texas, Paul and I being able to work out our schedules so that we both get to do fun stuff together and with others, cooperation, selflessness, marriage, Travis Weltons birthday, all the memories I have of him as a child, 'Travis time', Mr. Larry, Christmas parties, desserts!(200)
ReplyDeletePowerschool, TJMaxx, being invited to things, the giggling I was doing inside as I bought my 15 year old niece some Goodwill gift certificates for Christmas, knowing she will love them! The Adventure Christmas Party, talks with Rosie, successful hockey tournaments, Sarabeth Howard Birthday, Katie choosing such great friends, more time taken off at swim meet, Cavan Smith and his kindness at the swim meet, people we've never met who stop to tell Jonathan how handsome he is, picking out our Christmas tree together, all of us getting so much joy out of letting Jonahtan pick the one he liked best, watching Paul negotiate a price, the kids in Alpha are so precious and fun to spend time with, how cute kids are as they learn to talk, how cute they know they are, completed Christmas cards, board games, cold weather, blankets, snuggling, kids who bring their 'party' to school to share with their friends, balloon animals, all the 'firsts' Jonathan is experiencing, plastic nativity scenes, delicate nativity scenes, wooden nativity scenes, boxes that tell the story of Jesus' birth that Jonathan loves to play with, review days for finals, teachers who give projects instead of finals, eye doctors, getting to go to my nieces Christmas concert, amazing music teachers at Waggener who really, really care about their students, finding just the right ornament for each child, Dell ink being available at Staples(that was easy), lunch after finals with the big kids, my Dads willingness to get weekly massages(huh?), being able to help my brother, Oldham County hockey whooping Trinity 6-1, the joy that comes from hard fought victory, kids that handle adversity well, laundry detergent, washers, dryers, irons, electricity that works all day, every day, Bonnie Lawrences Birthday, lunch with Katie and Bon, Mimi's pancakes, Wes Wegerts Birthday party, getting nails done, finding a credit card that's not where you thought it should be, sleep overs, giggly girls, the gift of getting to baptize my brother, and two nieces, Christmas Eve eve service, reserving a whole row of 14 for our family, having every seat filled, peace, tranquility, truth, family pictures by the tree, food give aways for people who really need it, gloves, scarves, Value Market, generosity, hugs, Pauls family getting here safely, Mom being home for Christmas eve, cousins playing Wii Dance, hot cocoa, SNOW, building snowmen, snow forts, snow balls, hitting Daddy with snowballs, talking to neighbors outside again, hot tea, medicine for bad coughs, good sleep, vacation time for Paul, quiet time, reading Luke 2, praying, planning Christmas morning, having alot of helpers this year, Jordan Willey's train set and his giving spirit that he would share it with a child he hadn't even met yet, hearing 'Santa came!!!!!' again, watching the kids enjoy opening their gifts, letters from Santa, stockings, playing all day, Jesus' birth, redemption, sacrifice
ReplyDelete