Which of course, raises the question...if you made new year's goals, are you still headed toward them? Or have you completely abandoned all resolution and become the you of...well...last year?
I have to say I'm pleased with this month. I was nervous about how I would do in my first month back in "real life." After months of being hidden away spiritually and emotionally, I wasn't sure I could hang onto that intimacy with God and live life again. And certainly I didn't do everything right. I had my share of head-shaking moments. But today I'd like to celebrate what went right this month.
And if you kept even one of your goals - you should celebrate, too!
* Though I didn't set out to make this a habit, I did get up early every day to spend time with the Lord before I started the day. That is a Bekahland first (in 32 years)! I'm so thankful for those moments. I never thought morning devos would be "my thing" but now I can't imagine NOT starting the day that way!
* I got back into working out five days a week. I'd slacked to three for most of last year, but I'm back to five, and I'm keeping my goal of switching up the kind of exercise I do (walking, running, cardio, strength training...how is it that I even know these words!??!). I hate admitting it...but I do feel better. And I never would have dreamed I'd get through level 2 of that 30 Day Shred without keeping paramedics on standby. While I still am far from being good enough to be IN the dvd (ha!) I am now surviving it. Miracles abound.
* I've been diligent about cooking and planning ahead for meals, rather than living on cups of macaroni and cheese and bags of lettuce - or daily diets of fast food. Found out my passion for cooking did not die in the desert! I tried three new recipes and found two of them to be keepers. Stay tuned for those!
* I invited friends over for meals three times in one month - which is probably more than all of last year combined. And each time I sit across the table from a friend who has come to eat with me, call me crazy, but I'm aware that I'm blessed to have friends who want to come over and eat a meal with me. That honestly moves me.
* Though I was tardy in sending some of them, I returned to card making for the first time in months. I'll admit my creative juices aren't really flowing yet, but I'll give them time.
* Shocking even my own self, I memorized two Bible verses this month as part of the Siesta Scripture Memory Team. And not only did I memorize them, I was disciplined through their words (and that HURT)! I thought this project was going to just be about committing words to memory but God seems to have a much bigger plan in mind.
* I worked on a new writing project - which I'm very excited to watch unfold. I have no idea where it's going right now, but I'm journeying with it to see where it leads. Since I spent most of the end of last year focusing on the sale of the book I wrote before, I hadn't spent much time at the computer writing!
* I began meeting with my new mentor and am looking forward to more time together with her and seeing what God wants me to learn from her life and path. She's fun to laugh with and even in just our first two meetings, I've learned beautiful truths.
* For the first time in about three years, I braved teaching junior high Sunday School and found that I love it and love the girls in my class. They really do have beautiful hearts and spirits eager to learn and grow.
* I finished reading two books and read parts of others, which is a huge step for me...hadn't been able to focus on a book for a while.
So I declare January to be a huge success in re-entry to life. It's a YAY GOD month!
Stone Altar: End of January
9 comments:
Bekah,
Please forgive me for bringing up an error in your post. I only do so because I think you will find it interesting. :) I recently learned that 99% of the time people (including me) use the phrase "begs the question" wrong. I was reading an editor's blog recently and she said she had just had this pointed out to her and she was always using it incorrectly, too.
Apparently "begs the question" and "raises the question" are not interchangeable (as I had always thought). I had to read this definition about 10 times :) but it should explain it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question
Just another fun grammar fact for you!
Bekah:
Congrats on the successes this month! I'm SO looking forward to you sharing the new recipes you discovered in January as well!
It appears your sense of humor has fine-tuned itself. I had to laugh as I looked at your photo of your "stone altar"!!! LOL!! G-d is surely smiling at that as well.
Bekah: Just to 'splain my previous comment...
I'm not making fun of your "stone altar". I just found it amusing you have regular rocks, and one which looks like black onyx and one that looks like limestone and just all kinds! That's just like the way G-d works in our lives.
MOST of all, the photo of the stones in the glass jar looks straight through to your table chair. It may have been unintended, but it just hit me as you can sit and observe the progress of stones. Gives a whole new thought to "getting stoned" does it not? ROFL!
Whitney - I'm laughing because I'm not sure I've ever USED the phrase "begs the question" in speech or writing prior to this post. Leave it to me to use it incorrectly on the first try. I'll fix that right away. And when I have a bit more brain power than I do at this moment - I'll read the definition. Ohhhhhh how we love our grammar!
Delta - In the interest of saving money, I decided to use river stones I already had...so that's how I arrived at this collection. I grabbed them out of the bag based on size. BIG God moments got bigger stones. :)
Finding a place to take that picture was a nightmare. I started by putting the jar on the floor but the stones blended in with the carpet...so I ended up choosing the table. Goodness! What a mess!
I don't set New Years Resolutions but I started out the new year EXTREMELY stressed and I finally set a resolution in late January that I couldn't let work get to me this way. Nobody else was stressing like I was. Since I changed my attitude, I've been MUCH happier!!!
I NEVER would have brought this up on any other blog except for yours (okay, and anyone else who graduated with a degree in writing)because if you're like me I knew you would want to know.
Of course you know that I only come here to read your blog and pick it apart.
Stephanie - I am glad your stress level came down. I HATE it when work does that to me, so I'm proud of you for nipping it in the bud!
Whitney - I know. Why do you think I agonize over every post before I add it? It's because I know your secret hobby is ripping apart Bekah's Bits.
No seriously - I'm glad you told me! I truly had no idea. I read some on it this afternoon and think it might just be simpler to use another phrase! HA!
Bekah,
You have accomplished a lot in this month! Amazing! And I love reading that you invited friends over. That motivates me! It is easy for me to get in a routine and not want people over (although I jump at the chances to go out for coffee). However, I think hospitality is truly a ministry and I love that you are practicing that!
Looking forward to your recipes...
Karen - I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it until I started doing it again! (But to be fair - I love going out for coffee too!)
Hope you're feeling well!
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