A Year Behind...A Year Ahead

Each year many people make changes in their lives.  I am not one to try to make resolutions.  However.  Last year I posted about some changes I needed to make in my life.  It was just a time of reflection, and that can be a good thing.

I thought I would share how I'm doing with each item.  If you are interested, you can click the link above to read the details.

Critical- I think this has improved, at least on basic levels.  My husband hasn't brought it up in  a long time, which is a sure sign.

Friends- This has been my biggest change.  I actually have friends now.  In January (of last year) I had invited a friend over during nap time.  She quickly became a great friend.  In February I invited my Bible study group over for brunch.  Unfortunately, it was during a giant snowstorm.  Several ladies came, and we enjoyed ourselves.  Several friends and I from that Bible study have made it a point to get together (without children) on a somewhat regular basis.  (We try for monthly.)  With the distance to our church (we were members before we moved and aren't changing any time soon) it's still hard to get together regularly with others, but there have been several people that I/we have invited into our home.  I have also enjoyed getting to know several neighbors more this past year.  I am getting better and better at reaching out...offering my phone number and email address to those that I am "friendly" with...hoping it develops into something more.

Weight- I am pretty awful at eating my fruits and veggies.  Five servings a day is tough!!  However, a couple months ago I saw a pretty awful picture of myself, though in the right clothing I can hide it okay.  (I already knew that my BMI was not good.)   I decided to make one daily change.  Nope, it wasn't exercise; that would be a lot of tough work.  I stopped eating my daily bowl of bedtime cereal.  I started that awful habit 5 years ago when I was pregnant with M and continued daily!  That has been my only big change.  I still don't exercise much (especially now with the cold and wind), but I am trying to be careful to snack in the afternoon and limit my dinner portions.  BUT I have lost eight pounds in the past two or three months.  My pants definitely need a belt, and I recently wore a pair of slacks that I hadn't worn since before E was born.).  I doubt anyone can see a difference, but that's okay.  I feel a bit better, and if I am going to purchase new clothes they will be smaller, not bigger...though for now a belt works just fine.  (Though my one nice skirt just falls down to make it too long for me.  Hehe.)

Time with God- This is something I have always struggled with...and likely always will until I honestly make God my #1 priority.  Yep.  That's the bottom line.  Attending Community Bible Study is definitely helpful with this...but I shouldn't need that.  The book A Praying Life (click for my review) opened my eyes quite a bit...and helped me, too.  This year I will actually be reading through the Bible with my church family and husband.  I actually started to read it through chronological order 1 1/2 years ago.  Until this challenge I was still puttering away at that, not even halfway through.  This is a fresh start though with daily accountability through Derek.  Honestly, I can already tell that daily readings AND my CBS homework is tough to do together.  But I will.

This year.  I'm not sure what change is needed.  Exercise.  Purposeful time with God.  Purposeful play time with my children.  Worry less about things I cannot change, especially when the actual outcome is unknown.  Someone might suggest that I eat better, but I won't make any promises, intentions, or plans on that.

Let's remember what the Bible says.

~Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

 in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. ~ 

Proverbs 3: 5-6