Reflecting and Resolutions: My Annual Questions...

Here we are at the end of the year again! I've been browsing through my journal and am reminded page after page of sweet lessons or insights I'd already forgotten! I'm a slow learner and need lots of review. I love this week between Christmas & New Years. I look over those resolutions from last year and realize:

• Hey! I actually did perform a song in Chinese! I thought that goal was far-fetched, but I ended up doing it TWICE!
• Ugh. I still haven't taken a dance class. This is the 5th year I've made that resolution! Should I go for a 6th year of putting it down?
• I didn't get on top of organizing my mailing lists, or start flossing regularly, or cut out coffee.
• But I did start drinking the coffee black, journal in RED PEN the large and small miracles of the year, read a book aloud to Cameron, start asking for more advice, and survived the packing/storing/moving/settling in Pasadena!
• Yeah! It may have been a tough one, but looking it over, it's been a GOOD year!

A few years ago in Singapore I started going through some reflective questions and then looking ahead to the new year with friends.

I've put the reflective questions below. You don't have to fill them all out, but let them be inspiration for a little reflecting. If you'd like,
type out what you come up with, and paste them here as a comment! (you can even post anonymously if your a more private person!)

We can make a collection of our milestones right here. I'll put mine in there too. It'll be fun to see how this turns out!

Here's some subjects to reflect and journal:

• In 2007 I learned to…
• I grew most in…
• Another way I saw myself growing was…
• One of my best adventures was…
• I saw/knew God was doing something when…
• A real gift from God was…
• Something I really enjoyed doing more of was…
• One of the happiest memories of 2006 I’d like to freeze in my mind…
• I was really brave when…
• Something I’ve grieved about this year was…
• I’m still trying to learn what God wants to teach me through this hard experience…
• The best word of advice or encouragement I can remember is…
• One thing I’m looking forward to in 2008 is…

After hearing from one another on these reflections, I get out stacks of post it notes to brainstorm new years resolutions. The post it note method is my way of saying, "they're just ideas, so if you don't do them, you don't have to feel guilty about it." We take a break to individually do the brainstorming, then come back together to share a few. It's fun because we find that some of us have the same goal, and realize that we can do it together. There are 6 categories for brainstorming resolutions. You don't have to do it ahead of time, but I'm putting them here so you know what's coming...

• Physical
• Spiritual
• Service
• Important Relationships
  
• Professional/Intellectual
• Adventure/Risk

Visiting the Manicurist in USA

She's got it all figured out! I've BEEN THERE!!!

A 13 year old with loads of wisdom

My sister-in-law Kelly sent me the link to this video/recording of a 13 year old in a small town in Nebraska who'd called in to a Christian radio station broadcasting from Houston, Texas. Really tender wisdom from a kid who'd had to do something difficult and had heard God speak to him in the midst of it.