It’s easy to look back on a year and see the gaps. To see goals still unfulfilled and assess areas in your life that need fixing. I’m all for honest reflection and making changes, but I don’t want to let a year go by where I forget to stop and look back on all God has done in me and through me. In order to praise God for all the good He did last year, I wrote down a Record of Good for 2014. I just spent about ten minutes listing every blessing and praise I could think of. This list was so fun to write. God is so faithful.
Record of Good:
-Wrote {and passed} two portfolio papers
-Got a high pass on my comprehensive exam!
-Passed my dissertation prospectus and became ABD {“All But Dissertation”}
-Finished one chapter of dissertation
–Taught a summer school course for the first time and it went really well
-Attended RSA conference in San Antonio on a travel grant
-Fun dates with Micah: Blake Shelton/The Band Perry concert, Valley Ho anniversary, Old Town overnight
-Zianne learned to crawl, walk, and talk
-Zianne had a year of great health and sleep habits
-Zianne loves going to childcare at the gym and church
-Micah and I turned 32 and had fun celebrations
-Memorized Romans 8:1-9
-Starting using homiletic method for personal Bible study
-Shared homiletic method on the blog
-Became members at church
-Became a Scripture reader at church
-Got new AC unit, pool motor, front door, and cement fixed in yard
-Had a huge house purge and a successful garage sale
-Many dear friends came to visit {Sarah + Bekah, Camille} and family too
-My cousin started going to church with us!
–Minimized my wardrobe and cut back on shopping
-Ran two 5Ks {while pregnant… ha!} and Pat’s Run {and surpassed by 40 minute goal with a 37:12!}
-Completed my goal to breastfeed for a year!
-Got long-awaited skin check at dermatologist and biopsies came back clear
-Finished some big financial tasks {getting life insurance, merging my 401Ks, etc.}
–Read 12 books for fun!
-Wrote monthly notes of encouragement to friends and family
-Studied the Bible almost every morning
And to head into 2015 with a positive, hopeful perspective, here is a list of what FIRES me up. These are passions and desires I hope to fulfill in new ways in this new year:
-Studying the Bible and teaching it to other women
-Blogging
-Reading for fun
-Date nights
-Quality time with loved ones, 1-on-1 or in small groups
-Finding affordable, well-constructed, flattering clothes that mesh well with my current wardrobe
-Working out consistently and beating running goals
-Organized spaces and clear plans for big projects
-Hanging out at a coffee shop with a friend or my computer
-Exploring new neighborhoods {houses and shops}
-Trying new restaurants
-Lounging by the pool and reading magazines
And finally, here are my NO and YES lists for 2015!
What I’m saying NO to:
-Stuff {Accumulating it. Cleaning it. Storing it.}
-A harsh tongue
-Anxiety over housekeeping and my daily schedule
-Wasting dissertation writing time
-Staying up late
What I’m saying YES to:
-Prayer {both structured, written prayers and sentence prayers throughout the day}
-Showing honor with my words
-Buying a few planned, quality items for wardrobe, home, and baby
-Prioritizing dissertation writing
-Blogging
-Getting up early
-Date nights {and day dates with Zianne}
I say it often but it needs to be said more …. you inspire me to be a better woman, wife, mother, and child of God every single day. Your authenticity and words are so encouraging and I so appreciate your friendship. I am on day 21 of reading my Bible. Every. Single. Day. I'll be honest, I'm getting an ESV but the one I want isn't for sale until March, so I'm (im)patiently waiting. 🙂
Cheers for 2015, we're going to rock this!!!!