Grateful for new beginnings

I love Mondays, the start of a new week!  It holds so much in store for things to come, do and see!  I love Mondays even more when they start a whole YEAR!!  This is the first Monday of 2011 and so far – I expect it to be a GREAT year!!

I think this is the day most resolutions are broken.  I do not make resolutions anymore – not sure I ever really did – but now I am more intentional about how I plan the new year!

I set goals.  I like goals because if I miss the mark today I get to start again tomorrow no matter what.  I feel like a goal is just a process to work toward something. 

It is not the same as – I will exercise every day – instead I set a goal of exercising more frequently – and when I have a week that I forget or choose not to, the next week I get to start again working toward that goal.

It may not really be different, [it may be semantics] but I think I stick to it when it is a goal instead of a resolution to do something.

So, we are reading our Bible, the Manna plan – this morning I realized there is a lot of Old Testament reading, so I decided to let the kids listen to the OT and read the Proverbs, Psalm (both daily) and the New Testament on their own.  Own, well, really together at the table in the morning when they get up.  Day 1 went great!  We enjoy listening to things, we listened while we ate today.

School is off to a good start too – we are schooling in the house as opposed to the school building, it is chilly out and I do not want to make a fire out there to warm it up (will take too long).  So we are going to snuggle up on the couch by this fire and read in the house today.

Looking back, I see so many things to be grateful for this past year, I guess this will be my 2010 Year-In-Review gratitude journal entry:

 

0261. making some wonderful friends quickly in Irving while we were there

0262.  having some wonderful neighbors that were real blessings to my children

0263. being closer to the Redmonds when they needed us

0264. having a job that we learned to appreciate despite how hard it was

0265. finding a new job without leaving the last

0266. finding a house that we love after looking at so many!

0267. moving to the country and getting our chickens (a dream of ours for years)

0268. finding a church we love, where we can really serve

0269. travelling to Maine and Oregon – having a wonderful time on both coasts  with family, many memories tucked away

0270. watching fall come in while we enjoyed our field, our trees, and our new animals

0271. seeing family and friends; being close enough to see them, but far enough from the traffic and rush of life in DFW

0272. schooling at home, a new building for school, and kids who love their teacher!

0273. having coffee on the porch while voices chatter inside, while the birds chatter outside, reading The Word and feeling the blessing run over

0274. new gifts : trampoline to play on, books to savor, crafts to do, and a game to watch (Go Army)

0275. A new year – holding promises of so much; excited to see how God moves in our lives in 2011!

God was good in 2010 – and I know He will be good to us in 2011!!