Hello dear friends,
2007 has been a very important year for me, especially on the spiritual field. I want this new, spiritual dimension in my life, the sense of peace, certitude and serenity that I am discovering in Jesus Christ to stay with me and my family.
So, after much thought over a delicious Asian themed evening out with C, I have come up with my 8 in 2008 list.
1. After quite some time of down sliding, I feel the need to shape up in many aspets of my life. Let us start with the physical. Yes, you've guessed it. More exercise. After much consideration of my options, we concluded that there isn't enough time or money for me to enroll to a yoga/power plate/pilates studio I had my eyes on. I settled on a schedule for my treadmill, which C and I agreed to respect. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evening for 1 hour. Now, I have to work on my not feeling guilty about exercising, whereas I could be doing chores.
2.Menu. I have used the Menu Plan Monday meme to plan our meals in the past, but I have dropped out. The best day for me to program our menus is Wednesday morning, when I stay at home. We can go to the Super Market on Saturday and be ready for the week starting Monday. That will be good for my shape, plus I shall be saving from going to the dietitian I used to go to for the first half of 2007.
3.Complete Reading. Start a book AND finish it. In my teens I used to read a book a week. My daughter F does that for me, now. My aim is to complete one book/month. There are some great books I want to read, that I keep leaving unfinished and jump to a new one.
4. The subject of reading brings me to Faith. This is my most important goal for 2008, that is why it goes at the middle of the list, to balance out everything else. I want to get in touch with the Bible. I think it is very important for consolidating my faith. That is why I am going to do a short and apparently doable study by Lisa Welchel. Here is how it is described:
Lisa Whelchel has packed twenty solid Bible study tools into a five-day-a-week, fifteen-minute-a-day, anybody-can-do-it plan. Not only is this plan doable, it's satisfying. As a busy mom, you give of yourself all day long –often with no way to refresh and replenish the cravings of your own soul. But this simple three-month, come-along-beside-you guide will take you deep into the Word, nourishing your heart and soul. And in just three months, you will be a changed woman – changed by the power of God's Word in you.
I want to find a good Bible, but meanwhile I shall stick to the on line versions. I also want to put some prayer time in my life, day and evening. Quite often I find excuses (no time, feel sleepy, haven't got up properly yet) whereas time can be made. Do I not make time for eating for my body? Then I should be able to make time to feed my soul. If God wants me to, I shall also be using Lisa Whelchel's guided prayer journal, The Busy Mom's Guide To Prayer -but only after I have finished my Bible Study-, and my St. Irene prayer book. (Advice much needed and appreciated!)
5.Friendship. For my birthday, a very dear friend offered me a book that moved me. It is called Hugs for Friends, by LeAnn Weiss. I haven't read it all yet, but it made me think. There is a lot of clutter in my life. Meaningless, even harmful. It takes many shapes: reading, TV viewing, phone calling, accepting invitations. This year I want to cultivate friendships that are near and dear to my soul. I want to work on God driven friendship in my life. It is a kind of relationship that I have not given much thought or space in years.
6.Blogging. As I begin letting God in my life, I am increasingly tempted to drop blogging. "No need anymore", "Just another item on your list", "You could do this tele-seminar and that course and sweep the floor and wash those glasses, instead". Voices manifesting themselves out of the blue. However, I have acknowledged many times that this turn toward Christ, is largely due to my acquaintance with some blogs and blogging friends who have tempted me into opening the window of faith. I shall try to resist and stick to my guns.
Please let me make this parable, using my professional ID to show you how I feel about this. My life has been quite charming. I am not ungrateful for it. It looked like those stuffy rooms you see in home mags, rich in paisleys and throws, dim lights and musky candles. Since I have come to feel the presence of Christ, it feels like there is an opening, from which fresh air comes in, bringing in a ray of light that shows all the dust and the clutter. What looked charming before, now looks overdone. I dream of a room filled with light, an open window to green pasture and fruit bearing trees, and a smiling, rosy cheeked yellow sun.
7.Interior Design. That is what we do for living. From our shop C sells furniture, mattresses and bedlinen and I design rooms. I have increasingly neglected my work. As I was sinking into depression, nothing mattered. I sometimes hated seeing customers coming into the shop. "Why can't they all leave me alone?", I'd say to myself. I have kept a handful of customers, touching up on previous work for a child's bedroom here, or a seasonal lift there, but no inspiration, no joy out of the prospect of work.
I have decided to do a distance learning course I had enrolled for in the past. Regardless of what turn my own work takes, I leave this to God, I want to do this to freshen up my skills, as a personal challenge and for my own enjoyment.
8. I want to Try new things. I have liked so many things in the past, Girl Guiding, folk and ballroom dancing among them. But I begin to accept that my interests change, as I change. I want to explore photography, cross stitching, sewing, even puzzle making. I want to have fun in my life.
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my list. I promise to visit you all. I am sure it will give me great pleasure and encouragement.
Thank you Extravagant Grace for this opportunity to put fun, intention and God driven spirit to my life.
