HAP-PPY NEW YEAR!!
Thanks for stopping by again, I haven't seen you since last year - gosh, you're looking great!
Did you have a good festive season? It was a quiet one for us, but that was all good. WookieeMan had a birthday a few days after Christmas, and we both worked through, except for the stat days.
But two 4-day weekends in a row - we ain't gonna grizzle too much :-)
And, of course, there was New Year. Again, a quiet one at home, and in
bed by midnight (!) - the neighbourhood fireworks made sure we were
awake at the time, though.
At this time of year, a lot of people usually make New Years Resolutions. Have you made any? Care to share what they are? I used to, but they never seemed to take long to break. So, a couple of years ago, WookieeMan and I developed "a plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a Weasley". We now have "a summit" around New Year, and discuss/decide what we want to acheive over the following 12 months - as a couple, and individually - in any area, be it socialising, health & fitness, work, hobbies, faith... you get the idea, and how we aim to acheive said goals. I then type it up and print it on to wallet cards, which I laminate and keep in my wallet. During the year, we check in with it from time to time, and next New Year, we review it - before starting the process all over again. It's a great way to keep track of goals, and have accountability - not to mention, visually checking your acheivements over the year. Works for us!!
Ah, yes... challenges. Don'tcha just... love 'em?! They're not always good ones, but they make a difference nonetheless. But there is one thing that I am determined about, this year: something I started to realise and put into place over the last several months. And that is:
and
Up to this point, one of my main concerns in life was about how what I do or say affects others - dregs from the past. Did I come across as stoopid, dopey, irrelevant or worse? But then I realised that it was impacting on my self-worth and mental health. Then the proverbial lightbulb lit up; maybe it's time to practice what I preach and share on Facebook. Respect and honesty are still right at the top of my list, but now so is being true to who God made be to be, not what others think I should do. After all,
In our daily devotional today, it talked about God transforming us, based on Romans 12:2:
"All kinds of potential are locked into your spirit. And for the Christian, transformation at its optimum is the outworking of the internal. God placed certain things in you that must come out... and when you're tired of trying to unlock your own resources, allow Him to release in you the power to become whatever you need to be."
"Christ empowers us to slip out of who we were forced to be,
and transforms us into who He created us to be."
(Bob & Debby Gass, "The Word For Today")
You may have noticed over previous posts that I possess somewhat of a sense of humour. And that I like cutesy kinda stuff. So in keeping with these traits, as well as living up to my newish philosopy (for want of a better word), and the New Year, let me leave you with a few little gems that tickled my funnybone (and speak volumes in the process), in the hope at least one will raise even the shadow of a smile; I would consider that a success. Loud chuckles, giggles and guffaws would be even better :-)
PS: I'm really excited and thankful that there have been over 170 views of my little blog. Thank you so much!! Friends from the US of A, New Zealand, Australia, and France have stopped by. Bonjour, mon ami, et merci. My thoughts and prayers have been with you in light of the recent shocking events in Paris.
Please feel free to leave a comment below, if you so desire :-)
