Are you use to writing 2013 yet? It always takes me awhile. The end of 2012 was a bit of a whirlwind in our home. As if the craze of holidays wasn’t enough, we had two sick kiddos, a trip to the ER, two flat tires (one on Christmas morning), and we moved on Dec. 29th. Needless to say, I feel like I blinked and 2013 was up and running.
I have never been one to make New Years Resolutions. At least not the typical kinds of self improvement including, fitness, diet, or lifestyle changes. I think I made one or two in high school or college, but I couldn’t tell you what they were. It’s not so much that I’m against this, I honestly just don’t make the time to do it, and before I know it it’s mid January, and then what’s the point 🙂  More power to all of you who do make New Years Resolutions and good luck!
My husband and I do, however, often have conversations about who we want to be this next year. Usually these include asking the questions: Who/Where is our current community? Who can we love on? What does that look like? We often talk about place: the physical space where we live (home, neighborhood), the larger space in which we function (schools, work, church, etc.), and the emotional space where we put our energies, love, and involvement. We try and think of practical things that we can do, but often the conversations just take turns of their own as we talk about our story up to this point and where we hope to see our story going. These are usually impactful and memorable conversations for us as a family. It can be fun to ask your children about their past year, and their hopes for the next. Some times making concrete goals are too difficult or overwhelming for children, adolescents, or (lets be honest) even adults. But asking questions such as: What friends do you want to be extra kind to this year? How can we do that? Who is our community? How can we love this community? I think we can be surprised by what our children say, and learn from their perspectives.
Happy “New” New Years Resolutions.
*image taken from Photobucket
