Let it Snow, & Snow, & Snow...20 Inches

I think last year's no snow was holding off for this year.  It started snowing on Thursday and didn't stop until almost noon Saturday morning.  At least 20 inches and in some places several more.  They called at 6:00 a.m. to let us know there would be no school on Friday, which I don't remember ever happening and we all watched it pile up.  What a great time to be a kid, I'm sure sales that were almost nonexistent last year were booming these last couple of days.  Here's a few pictures to show you just what I'm talking about.  It sure is beautiful when the sun comes out however.  And it truly makes me grateful for a nice warm house to hunker down.

Resolutions - A New Year

Every year we have New Year's and I have to decide if I want to have a few resolutions.  This year was no exception.  I have toyed with the idea of what I want to do make this year memorable.  A couple of years ago a friend of mine started a Biggest Loser competition.  It promised to give the winner a few dollars as well as lose weight and get healthier.  I was in.  I did not win, however something sparked in me and I decided to start my own rounds of this competition. It has been a long process, but a good one.  I have continued to get healthier and my goal is to have Bridger be surprised when he comes off the plane.  So, yesterday we started a new round, Round 11.  I tend to think the 11 is symbolic for two skinny poles, I am hoping to be at goal at the end of this round.

I love Music and the Spoken Word.  They always know how to say just what needs to be said.  I love their message last week, so I included it here so I can remember it.  2013, the year I finish what I started.  I'm going to start running this year, be at a healthy maintainable weight and just be a better me.  We will see.  Stay tuned...

Resolve for a New Year:

The prospect of a new year can give us a sense of opportunity, possibility, and purpose. We feel more determined to try a little harder, reach a little farther, and somehow do a little more. What before may have seemed out of reach suddenly enters the realm of possibility when we resolve with newness of heart.

Some time ago, a young adult discussed with his roommate the fact that he was not a "morning person.” He explained that for as long as he could remember, he had never been very cheerful in the morning. His roommate simply replied, "If you don’t like that about yourself, why don’t you change?” The young man responded with feelings of doubt. "I’ve just always been this way,” he explained. "I can’t change that.” But his roommate persisted, "Why not try?”

And so he did. Sooner than he expected, the young man really did change. With some determination and effort, he found that he could be as pleasant in the morning as he chose to be. Of course, he had occasional lapses, but by and large, he became the "morning person” he never thought he was. The hardest part, it turned out, was convincing himself that he could change.

Some day we might look back on our lives and wonder what we could have been if we had believed in ourselves just a little more.1 As we do, we will also see how even small changes—seemingly insignificant decisions—set our course and shaped our lives for the better. If we want to be, we can be better parents, better friends, better neighbors. We can be more patient, more forgiving, more cheerful—regardless of how we may have been in the past.

May this time of newness deepen our resolve to focus on the things that matter most, to live and love more fully. May it be a season of renewal and reflection as we strive to become the person God knows we can be.