The Year of Goals

Did I set any goals this year? I don't think I did. As a matter of fact, I think I just allowed myself to be carried along by the tidal wave that was 2015. I would have been too busy to accomplish any goals anyway. Actually, I did set one: to read 25 books for my Goodreads Reading Challenge. As of today, I still need to finish two more to make the goal. I'm trying to get that done today as I cook, clean, and prepare for guests tonight.

With this year behind me, I do plan to make 2016 a year of goals. Actually, I had dreams of setting goals last night, so I think God may be telling me something. My prayer is that 2016 will be the year of positive change in my creative and professional life. I recognize the need, and now I need to act and move in that direction. Along with finishing a new novel, continuing to edit for Pelican, and possibly starting up my own business, I really want to make my spiritual life a priority as well. My prayer time and Bible reading have really gone by the wayside since September, so those must move to the top of my list.

What goals (if any) have you set for yourself this year?

Favorite Things Friday: New Year Hopes

           

 Happy 2015 to everyone! One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to do a better job keeping up with Favorite Things Fridays and the blog in general. I’ve had a really hard time keeping up with the blog since September when I had to start teaching again, and I really don’t want that to be the case starting NOW.

            Quite honestly, this school year has been incredibly tough. It’s become increasingly difficult to teach for several years now and for many different reasons. Some people are natural-born teachers and some are not, and one thing I’ve discovered about myself over the past ten years of teaching is that I am not a natural teacher. In fact, often I find it quite painful and the difficulty of the job has taken over a large portion of my life making it hard to put a lot of energy into other areas. So that is one resolution for this new year. Put more time into my marriage, my home, and the important things in life.

            2014 carried many blessings and good things such as the publication of Song from the Ashes, and the opportunity to make new friendships through writers’ associations and online networking. For these things I am very thankful. I’m also thankful for my eighty-six-year-old grandmother’s recovery from pneumonia and a weakened heart condition. Just a few weeks ago she was in the ICU, and last week I was able to visit her in the comfort of my dad’s home where she looked as beautiful as ever.

 

My husband and I are truly blessed to have wonderful families. My grandfather and father-in-law both had ninetieth birthday parties this year, and Stephen and I are close with both our families and love spending time with them. I think that’s the most important lesson I’ve learned this year: family is king. I know a lot of people have major drama, hardships, and heartbreaks with their families, and it’s not always a pleasant experience for people. For us, we love time with both families and we’ve begun to realize that we need to be closer to them. Both sets of parents and all family members live in the South Carolina/North Carolina/East Tennessee area, and it’s becoming difficult to be the only ones up here in the rat race of Northern Virginia.

 

So for 2015 we are praying for positive change and whatever opportunities the Good Lord may bring our way. Ultimately, it’s all in His hands, and we trust and believe in his sovereign plans and provisions.

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.  Jeremiah 29:11