A New Year

Happy New Year.... this third day in... 

End of the year / New Year posts are always hard for me to write. I always think I need the perfect words and the perfect way to say them. Somehow I can't quite just not write them either!

First things first: my 4 books a month goal is finished!!

December's books:

Top Left: The Other Half of Church.                        Fascinating ideas about Christian community and brain science, a lot of which was a bit over my head. 

Top Right: Do Let's Have Another Drink.               Another book to add to my list of 'Royal Family' books - all kinds of interesting stories and tidbits about The Queen Mother. 

Bottom left: The Queens Of Animation.                 Super interesting history about the world of Walt Disney Studios and the unsung heroes who worked behind the scenes. 

Bottom right: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert.                                                         Inspiring story. I kept taking pictures of pages and sending them to Chris. 

I'm so glad I made my reading goal last year, and right proud of myself for actually keeping it! I don't think I'll make a new goal, but I hope I'll be inclined to keep reading in 2023. I still have a long list of book ideas that I kept adding to throughout the year. I think I will keep noticing book recommendations and wanting to check them off my list; we'll see. 

How can a year seem to have gone by so fast that one can hardly believe there were twelve whole months in it, and yet January 1, 2022 seems like so very, very long ago? Not sure how that works. 

Personal highlights from 2022 include...

Our trip to Florida over our school's winter break...

And Chris and my Anniversary trip in June.

There's been some big changes in our family in 2022 as well -- Isaac being gone for six weeks and then teaching school here this fall; Jasmine heading to Boston in August, to attend Sattler College for the school year. There is nothing quite like having your first child venture out into the world on their own! So many and conflicting emotions..... and this stage is only just beginning. I don't feel at all like I should be the mom in this story, but here I am!

I don't think there's a person alive who would claim to love change, and yet we are made to adapt to it. It's amazing how quickly we adjust to new schedules, new places, new people, new responsibilities, new ideas... It's actually pretty incredible the way God created us with the capacity to learn and grow and adapt! Our thoughts control so much of our life experience, including the way we respond to change. 

One of the biggest gifts of 2022 has been the huge step I took outside of my comfort zone when I joined a coaching program four months ago. I am forever grateful for all I have been learning through that experience. Contrary to what we tend to believe, it is worth it to invest in yourself!

And now, before this new year progresses any further, Happy New Year!