A Different Kind of New Years Resolutions

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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

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Elisa
Elisa is a native Arizonan by birth and a Seattleite by heart. She is a wise, spirited woman who loves feeling the sun on her face, but also enjoys cold rainy days, complete with a cup of coffee and a good book or conversation. After graduating with a Masters in Counseling Psychology and seeing clients for a time, she took a hiatus to love on, play with, and offer copious amounts of hugs to our little girls, Malia and Jayden. She is now back working at Socorro Counseling and Consulting in Downtown Phoenix. Unafraid to laugh at herself and able to see the beauty in others, she makes everyone feel at ease, making her a genuine friend, therapist, and wife. Give her a cute pattern and a sewing machine or some spray paint and a piece of furniture and they are surely to be transformed into some warm piece of art that brightens our living space. She also finds creativity in cooking, making household cleaners, and anything Pinterest. In short, Elisa is stylish, wise, thoughtful, creative woman who makes everyone around her a better person, including her husband (who wrote this bio).

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