A New Year And New Possibilities

Every year around the holidays, I begin to reflect on the past year and to marvel at how fast the year has flown.  Can it be almost December 25th already?  Can the year really be almost coming to a close?  I start to think about what I want the new year to hold.  New resolutions for a new year are part of the New Year's celebration in our house on December 31st.  My resolutions used to be all about me. How much weight I wanted to lose, how much money I wanted to save, or what experiences I wanted to have in the new year.

It is no longer just about me.  I have a family and we are growing.  I am finding that my new resolutions for the upcoming year and any plans I make for the future are no longer about just me and my wants but what I also want for my family.

I want my daughters to know me and who I am even after I am long gone.  Obviously I want them to learn from my actions while I am alive but I also want them to know what I was thinking to.  I am horrible at journaling and have been blogging as not only an outlet but to also document my family's life.

Part of my New Year's resolution is to start writing just thirty-four words each day in my journal-a personal journal.  I am not a concise person so I can't just write a sentence but I can write a few sentences about my day.  One word for each year of my life.  I will be turning thirty-four in three short months. So my goal is to write at least thirty-four words every day.  I figure when I am older and my kids are grown I will have more time to reflect on my days and more time to write.  That is if I can keep up my journaling resolution. 

How hard can it be?  I know it will not be so easy especially in the summer months when the warm evenings and a chair on our patio beckons along with a nice glass of iced tea. Or if it has been a long day and all I long for is to stretch out on my bed and to close my eyes.  But I hope that unlike some of my past resolutions, I persevere and try to keep this one. I am doing this for my children and for me for when I can no longer remember those precious minutiae of our daily lives. 


I never make just one resolution but I do limit them.  Both my husband and I want to give back to our community.  We want our daughters to learn from us about the joy in giving back and in helping others when we have so much.  This year we put money aside to give to charity during the holiday season.  As a family we are deciding how the money will be spent.  Even though the girls are young, we want them to be a part of our decisions and to have a say.

Yet, this year I realized this wasn't enough.  We are not active enough in the community.  It isn't just about giving money to help out but also time.  Not just in volunteering but also in attending community events.  I'm active in our local mom's group and even sit on the board but in all honesty that is about it.  I want to be more involved.  We also haven't taken advantage of the events in our local town and often find ourselves taking advantage of the events in the local cities instead.  We want our daughter's to have a sense of community and the only way for that to happen is to become part of the community.  

I have two resolutions that matter to me.  I want to to keep these resolutions.  I have already decided on the journal I want and plan to go the book store to pick it up next week.  My favorite black gel ink pens will be my writing instrument of choice.  As far as my other resolution I have already started thinking of ways to get more involved.  I've already started a list.  Now if I can just follow through once the clock strikes midnight on December 31st and a new year is rung in.  It is just about wanting it enough.  I do.  I really do.


I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network blogging program, for a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.