Everyone is ringing in 2013 and I am no different!  Time to shake off the dust of 2012 and move on with 2013.  I am ready!!!!  2012 was a year of challenges and frustrations but it was also a year chock full of blessings and fun!  I could not ask for more. Well I could but it would be silly!!!   This year was a year of firsts —first trip to China, first time one of our pets faced death in the face and beat it, first son got accepted into an Ivy League school, first time to quadruple (well over!) my blog views per day, first time to be married 30 years and I am thinking it is also the last time!  The list goes on and on.  It was also a year of milestones in many other ways as we sold my father in law’s home and said goodbye to an era of visiting 3325 Wilbur Drive. Chapters closed and new ones opened.

For the past two years I tried to choose 3 words to focus on during the year.  In 2011 my words were Embrace, Hope and Generosity  My song was “Wake Up Everybody”.   This past year my three words were Surrender, Rekindle and Bigger with my theme song being “Man in the Mirror”.   It has taken me a while to choose my words for 2013 but I think I have come up with some good ones for me.

 Discipline–Oh boy—do I ever need this one!!!  I need discipline in every single area of my life!!!  I need discipline in my personal goals for myself and my health, in my spiritual life, in my writing life, in my home management. This discipline and focus can totally change the way 2013 plays out so I am going to definitely keep it at the forefront during each and every day.

Serve–I am a true believer that one can never serve too much. We have been blessed with so much in our lives and it is up to us to share it with whomever and wherever we have the opportunity.  I am reexamining some of the ways that I have been in service to others and making decisions about what is most helpful and what areas I need to prune from my life.  To those that have received much much is expected and I intend to continue to try to live that out to the best of my ability.  I am looking for new opportunities and areas to serve each day.

Stretch–Too often I find myself just blobbing along in life not really doing anything out of the ordinary (for me) and not challenging myself to take the plunge when I need to. This year I hope to stretch myself—-move beyond the comfortable and challenge myself with some new endeavors.  Complacency has become too easy for me—-I feel the need to challenge myself and move!

I also picked a song for the year which I think everyone can identify with.  It is not anything too deep or even spiritual but it is a good thing to remember to do at every chance.  Join me as we “Shower the People You Love With Love”

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Thanks James Taylor

Tomorrow I will reveal the new Comments for a Cause and post how much “we” raised for Josh’s Yolka Project in December!