happy new year!

Didn’t this past year fly by? A scientist or physicist or someone very smart needs to figure out why time goes faster and faster the older we are. I know all the blah blah about each day having the same number of hours in it but I’m having trouble believing it like I used to. If that were true and each day is as long as the one before, why did the calendar roll around to a new year so quickly when it feels like the last one just started? I mean, was I in a time warp and 2021 went whizzing past without my noticing?

Apparently.

If you’ve read any of my various blogs over the past 15 years you’ll know that I used to make New Year’s resolutions and then one year decided to stop. I felt too much pressure to stick to a list of things that seemed important at that moment but lost their lustre a couple of months down the road.  And because I am a list-maker and a calendar notation’er (new word?) I would lock myself into things that sometimes gave me ulcers rather than joy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a BIG fan of goals, of writing long lists of them in pretty journals with my fav pen, of drawing fat, black lines across the finished ones and adding an extra punch with a bright pink highlighter as if to karate chop them. Ouch, my gut is burning.

I guess I realized if my goals or resolutions weren’t enhancing my life AND bringing joy to others they were pretty meaningless. So this year I compiled a list of things that I appreciate, things to focus on throughout the year that will keep me grounded, encouraged and pointing in the right direction.

TA DA!!!

The Top 10 Things I Appreciate

#1 JESUS

Saying that I appreciate Jesus is a massive understatement. I love Jesus. I want to be like him. I want to know him better and better each day. I want fruit falling from my life and into the lives of others as a result of loving Jesus. I want to be with him one day and I am positive that he has reserved a place for me in heaven.

focus… in 2022 I will focus on knowing Jesus better by spending more time in meaningful prayer

#2 FAMILY

Now more than ever I appreciate my husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. When I reflect on pre-Covid life I realize how easy it was to take family for granted. There were no restrictions to seeing anyone, to visiting, to hugging them. That came to a standstill 2 years ago. All of the activities that we previously filled our time with were stripped away and we were left examining what was most important in life, and outside of my faith, family tops the list.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on connecting more deeply with my family by showing them in deliberate ways how much I love them

#3 MIND

I appreciate my mind. It must be an age thing but I am conscious of whether my mind is working properly or not. I take note when I can’t find the right word to say or fumble with expressing an idea quickly and adequately but no amount of brain pills can replace the good, old fashioned desire to learn. Oh, by the way, I’m not knocking brain pills, this may be the year I need to start taking them!

focus…in 2022 I will focus on reading more books and challenging myself to learn new things by taking at least one course in an area that interests me

#4 BIBLE

I appreciate the Bible. It is the Holy Word of God. I am excited every time I open it because it is life. It is freedom. It is peace. It is hope. It fills me with purpose and beyond all of the things I already listed, it helps me know the Lord. Is there anything else in the world more powerful than the word of God? Nothing.

focus…in 2022 I will study the Bible daily with the intent of further knowing God

#5 COLORS

I appreciate colors. This past year a very dear friend introduced me to the world of paint. For many years I had wanted to learn how to paint but created some airtight excuses not to…I don’t know how to draw, I don’t know where to start, I can’t find someone to teach me, I want to be perfect. Of course all of those things are rooted in the fear of failure but my friend encouraged me to try. We had a “paint date” and just had fun. I felt my anxiety and excuses drop away with each brush stroke, colors upon colors upon colors opened my eyes to complex beauty in simple things.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on spending time having fun with paint with no expectation of perfection

#6 MY AGE

I know right?! How did this one end up on my list of things I appreciate?? Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and shake my head…gravity is unkind to the human body. But, and it’s a big but, I must remind myself that I can’t have arrived here without getting here. What I mean by that is, I have a beautiful family with grown children who are wonderful adults and fantastic parents, they have provided hubs & I with the most precious grandchildren in the entire world. So, how could we be enjoying these blessings and many others without the passage of time? Therefore, I appreciate my age because with it has come tremendous joy and blessing.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on enjoying my age instead of wishing I was younger

#7 GREY HAIR

Yes indeed. I don’t have a ton of grey hair but I have enough to make regular trips to the hairdresser for touch-ups.   # 7 is like an add-on to #6 because along with age comes a certain amount of wisdom. What I appreciate is that I feel I have something of value to encourage others with, life experience. I am thankful for each breath the Lord has given me, for the experiences that have shaped my life and for faith that is my anchor.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on listening to those older than myself, hearing their stories and respecting their experiences in order to learn from them; I hope those younger than myself will do the same for me

#8 FRIENDSHIP

I deeply appreciate the friends I have. I don’t run in a big group, I have a small group of very special people in my life who have helped me, challenged me, accepted me and loved me. They have shared their lives with me, opened their hearts to me and we’ve clicked. Some of them I don’t see often but that never gets in the way of our connectedness. These precious ladies appear to have been hand-picked by the Lord and in various places and various times in my life each one showed up at just the right moment, forever changing me.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on letting each one of these special people know how much I love them

#9 HANDS

Hands. Kind of simple. When I read through the gospels I notice how Jesus was constantly reaching out to the lost; his hands changed lives. My hands are getting rough and wrinkled but I appreciate them so much because with them I can convey love, warmth, kindness, help. I can share the love of Christ and I can glorify his name by helping others.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on using my hands as instruments of praise

#10 WOOL SOCKS

I really appreciate wool socks. These past 2 weeks have been brutally cold. Someone left the door open in Siberia and all the cold came whistling down on us. Hubs and I have had to shovel mounds of snow in -30 C temps but my feet have been toasty warm in my wool socks and Sorel’s. I know we’ve all read or heard about the challenges to the homeless during this cold snap, I’m quite sure most don’t have wool socks. My heart hurts thinking about people being on the street at any time of the year but during such horrible weather they are at serious risk of frostbite and even death. How many pairs of wool socks do I own? Probably 4, maybe more.

focus…in 2022 I will focus on sharing what I have with others

To wrap it up, I guess I’m okay with my days going by at warp speed. With the Top 10 Things I Appreciate my life is full and fun, meaningful and helpful, creative and full of love. My focus for 2022 will be to give away what I have been given.