"Heeey, we were just talking about you... all good things, all good things!" lol
This is my final post for 2021, friends, and I'm happy to report that I hit my 31 posts in 31 days goal for December! I definitely won't be playing that game in January, but I'll write here whenever the mood strikes. =)
Today = my final reflections on some good things and lessons from 2021, plus expecting some good things in my goals for 2022... all good things. ;-)
I'll start with this happy slideshow of pictures I want to remember throughout the past year... enjoy!
My Top Five Lessons or Takeaways from 2021:
1. God will provide the daily grace, the resources, the energy, and the evidence that I need to navigate the new things He has planned for me (part of the Green Light at the Red Sea sermon, which confirmed my decision to start the adoption process).
2. In our best days and in our darkest moments, we are seen and known and loved by an involved and compassionate God. He is both epic and intimate, universally powerful and deeply personal. He is sovereign over global events, and He times the events of our lives with great care and precision and divine authority. (God showed me that my friendship with Malori lasted 7 years and 12 days in total, and both numbers symbolize "completion" and "divine authority" throughout the Bible -- while it didn't make the grief part much easier, it gave me a sense of clarity and real closure that I wouldn't have had otherwise, and it meant a lot to me to feel that God cared enough to speak to me there).
3. "Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.'" ~John 13:7 Sometimes - really, most of the time - God's full plan is not clear to us. In times of pain and grief, He is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit. And in the better times (like moving forward with adoption), we should act on what we do know and trust Him with the rest of it. Someday (in heaven if not before), it will all become abundantly clear. But right here and now, we can remind ourselves that He is working all the events of our lives together for our good and His glory!
4. Carol Dweck's book taught me to praise children for their effort rather than calling it a natural talent or ability. That helps to instill the foundational growth mindset belief that they can accomplish their goals whenever they're willing to put in the necessary time and practice. I'm working to live in that mindset more myself, to release limiting beliefs and fixed thinking, and to believe that all sorts of desired changes are truly possible for me when I put in the required energy and effort!
4. "Let go of people who are not prepared to love you. This is the hardest thing you will have to do in your life, and it will also be the most important. Stop having hard conversations with people who don't want to change. Stop showing up for people who are indifferent to your presence. The more time you spend trying to make yourself loved by someone who is unable to, the more time you waste depriving yourself of the possibility of this connection to someone else. The more you stay involved with people who use you as a background option or a therapist for emotional healing, the longer you stay away from the community you want. The most valuable thing you have in your life is your time and energy, and both are limited... Protect your energy. You are not responsible for saving anyone. You are not responsible for convincing them to improve. Decide that you deserve true friendship, genuine commitment, and complete love with healthy people. Then wait and see how much everything begins to change.” ~Anthony Hopkins
My Goals for 2022:
1: Host friends at my home once a month (that can be one or more people, and it can be dinner or a game night or just watching a movie).
2. Social Media Sabbath one day a week (it can alternate between Saturday and Sunday depending on my schedule).
3. Lose 60-72 pounds by this day next year, meaning 5-6 pounds per month. Doable, but only with consistent effort!
4. Continue good habits with Peloton (55 minutes per day average), and daily time with God (my plan is going through my Psalms Write the Word journals + listening through the New Testament 4x this year).
5. Start a daily writing habit + complete the first draft of my book and send it to three people for feedback by the end of 2022.
That's all I've got. May you be blessed with hope today. And may you live with love, joy, and peace in 2022!!
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