The family dispersed to their homes yesterday, save the Phoenix-bound boy who leaves later this week. I watched the buildup of new babies, painted rooms, elaborate menu planning, extravagant food shopping and careful gift purchasing slowly dissipate as the week wore on, ending in one final sigh ... of contentment when the last car drove away. How blessed I feel to have my children enjoy coming home to each other.

We opened gifts on Wednesday, ate a traditional Christmas dinner on Thursday, dined heartily at a local restaurant on Friday, consumed java and scones at our favorite coffee shop on Saturday, rung in the New Year with a bit of the bubbly and all drove to our hometown to have an extended family celebration on Sunday. Love, love, love all my extended family. Even the grumpy BIL who never seems to like what he gets from the Christmas gift game! I love him, too.

All the Christmas boxes still sit stacked in the family room but they are neater than ever, having been organized by yours truly. They'll hit the attic sometime later this week when there is room to maneuver in the garage. Most of the gifts have found homes on proper shelves or in closets. New books sit mingled with the old, ready for a read some quiet winter day. Now its time for pondering the New Year.

I expect great things. I'd love an even cleaner more organized house. I'd like some financial relief from some property that has been on the market for several years. A few new appliances would be nice as some are on their last leg. New furniture for the Lodge room would be great. I want a healthier body.

But enough of the physical.

Love God, love people seems like a great moral focus for the New Year. I do love God even though I kind of took a break from traditional church for a while. And I love people most of the time but here too, I see room for improvement. How to increase my love for both is something worth spending time trying to figure out. Hmmm ... Love expands when the heart is warm and pliable. This always brings me right back to thankfulness. My go-to act to get closer to God and feel more loving toward others lies in an increase in my level of gratefulness. By acknowledging God as the provider, I diminish self.

So goals for 2012: A big heart, full of love for all beings here on earth and in the heavenlies. And instead of a long list of things I want in the New Year (see two paragraphs above), an even longer list of all the things I feel truly grateful for.

Sounding a bit sappy but sincere,

Caroline


p.s. I got a Kindle for Christmas! Perhaps a no brainer for this bibliophile.

Labels: God, gratefulness, Kindle, love, New year

This entry was posted on Monday, January 02, 2012 at 4:44 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.