Welcome 2011!

A new year. A fresh start. A renewed hope.

If 2010 had any themes for us, they were grace and intention. It was a calm year, a quiet year, settling into our new home with our new baby, and the perfect year to allow those two themes to flourish in our lives. I learned better how to extend grace to my children, extend grace to others, extend grace to myself, and receive grace myself. I practiced intentional living, making our choices with purpose and deliberation. It was a good year. I leave it feeling satisfied.

As we enter into 2011, I feel our themes shifting. Building on grace, I want this to be a year of enjoying and rejoicing in that grace. Building on intention, I want this to be the year we build a comforting rhythm into our lives. I am excited for this year, for these new themes.


Enjoying and Rejoicing

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4

This year, I will seek to enjoy God and to rejoice in all things. I want the root of both, joy, to overflow in our lives through our gratitude, our thanks, and our praise. I want our joy - our light! - to bring glory to God. I want to tell of the good He has done in our lives! I want to delight in Him and be content in every circumstance, ever praising Him and singing of His Glory. I want to enjoy and rejoice.


Rhythm

“The go-with-the-flow infant days are over; my antsy preschooler and his distractable mama need a rhythm we can flow with through the days. A predictable beginning, middle, and end, with room to wander as life leads us, will lend stability and peace to our lives.”
The Quiet Place

A challenge for my distractable and disorganized self, I will work this year towards building an intentional rhythm into our lives. I want to mark the rhythm of our days, our weeks, our seasons, our years. I want the comfort and security of routines for my preschooler. I want to strengthen my marriage with time set aside just for us. I want more (computer-)screen-free time that we can all count on and benefit from. I want to continue our journey towards intentional living, ensuring that the things we value are not forgotten as our time idly slips away from us. I want an ever-evolving framework our family can grow up in. I want rhythm.


Grace leading to joy. Intention leading to rhythm. A new year building on the work of the last. I feel content today, hopeful for what this new year will hold.

Wishing you all a joyful new year!