A year in review...sort of.

2011. Gone already? As I listen to people's New Year's Resolutions, and think about all the good, the bad, and the crazy of 2011- I can't help but think how fast it all went. Here's a snapshot of 12 months of controlled chaos. Even when I thought life was insane, God was never taken by surprise! Thank you, Lord for every minute of every day!

What I learned in 2011:

January-Cherish every minute. It's only 60 seconds before it's gone and you will never get the time, the words, the moment back.
"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." James 4:14

February- You can never have enough "spirit"- love people bigger than you ever have before.
"...because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. " Romans 5:5

March-Life is a gift. No matter what, how or when it comes, it is a GIFT.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

April-Find friends to walk with through life. It makes the good times great and the "ugly" times...not so ugly.

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:23

May-Right when you think your plan is in place, KNOW that God is going to change everything. :)

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

June- Be loyal to those who love you no matter what, and tell you the truth even if you don't like it.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

July- Surround yourself with people who know how to laugh at the future and have fun in the present.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life...neither the present nor the future...will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. " Romans 8:38-39

August-Stay out in God's Creation as much as possible. Way cheaper and more effective than any therapist will ever be.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..." Romans 1:20a

September- Be intentional about meditating on the GOODNESS of God, trusting Him with everything...EVERYTHING.

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

October-Always make room in your life for people you can have fun with and love. It just makes life so much sweeter.


November-Find what is valuable- and fight for it with everything you have. Never quit, keep on keepin' on and hold it close.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

December- Tell the people around you that you love them, and Jesus loves them so much more. Every day count your blessings and leave the rest to God. He's got your back.

"Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come." Isaiah 46:10-11

What a comfort it is to know that no matter where I am, what is happening or what I plan for- God is completely and totally in control, and He is my Papa. He is taking care of me, teaching me and changing me to be more like Him. Miracle of miracles. Happy 2012, friends.

To marvel....

I am still in shock that we are done with the year 2008. I can't get over it. Steve and I have been talking, and reflecting, and although we both feel this year was probably the worst- the hardest- year of our lives, we are sad to see it go. It feels like another year wasted, another year gone that can't be added to anymore. Our kids just keep growing, life just keeps happening, and I don't feel that I have done all the things I needed to. No matter how hard things are, I don't want to miss a minute of opportunity to learn from God, a minute of the childhood that Jordan and Jasmine are flying through. It's just crazy. (As I think about this, I have a horrible urge to go find a fiction novel- eeekk!)


Well, since stopping time for awhile is outside of my superpower abilities, I will just have to mourn the passing of another year, and rejoice at the prospects of the future. We finally decided that I need to stop working, so that is going to make the next couple of months very interesting. Getting rid of cars, dining out, all the extras- tough, but we have done it be for, and I think we will be glad we did. If I am going to teach my kids to live in the present and appreciate every minute, I am going to have to do it myself and show them, and that is impossible if I am gone all day.

Food for thought: In Matthew 8:10, a man came to Jesus with a request, and his response was so awesome, Jesus " heard it, He MARVELED..." Can you imagine God marveling at you? I wish. Check the passage out, and let's love God in such a way today, and have such faith in Him- that He would marvel at us...


(I marvel at what an awesome "goofy goober" my husband is!)