29 Resolutions

Yesterday was completely lovely. 

I enjoy marking this passage of time with a set of birthday goals.  I thought I'd share my hopes for this new year.

1.  I want to be the best mama and best wife I can be.

I want to go all in as I love the boys God has entrusted to me.  I want to put aside laziness and selfishness and strive to love Ben and Elijah well.  My good friend spoke beautifully about the kind of love she wants in her home.  I want that love in our home.  I want my words and actions to be gentle and kind. 

2.  I want to invest in this space.

I am so excited about this space.  I have wanted to have such a space for so very long and now I have it.  I felt swallowed whole after Elijah was born, unable to make time for anything other than caring for him and myself.  I feel like we have found a groove and very much want to commit time and energy to being here consistently.  Yesterday I mentioned a very exciting birthday gift.  My sweet and amazing husband gave me a that is an investment in this space.  He (with generous help from his family) gifted me with an incredible new camera.  You've probably noticed that all of my photos are poor quality phone photos.  I would love to promise that you will soon see brilliant, high quality photos, but I know nothing about cameras or photography so I imagine I'm in for a pretty steep learning curve.  I want to cultivate this space, find my voice and learn to use my new camera in this coming year.

3.  I want to create.

Along the same lines as #2, I want to spend time creating this year.  I love to create.  Picking up my needles and yarn or sitting down with my calligraphy supplies or even stringing words together on this screen brings me such joy.  I believe that I was created to be creative and I want to use that passion to the best of my ability.  In this season of new mama-hood, I am tired.  In these last four months, I have piddled away my free moments, surfing the internet or crashing on the couch.  While I believe that both of those activities are completely acceptable at times, I do not want to overlook those pockets of time that could be spent creating.  I want this year to be a creative one. 

4.  I want to develop an exercise routine.

I mentioned yesterday that I gained half my body weight while pregnant with Elijah.  I have made good progress in losing that weight, but I'm not back to my pre-baby body yet.  I am completely aware that I may never get back to that shape and while that suits me just fine, I do want to create an exercise routine.  I want to have the energy to run and play and care for my son and believe that exercise plays a critical role in that hope.  So here's to a fitter year ahead!

5.  I want to study Scripture.

This is the most important of my goals.  I want to go deep into the Word this year.  I've been encouraged and inspired by the work Ben is doing to study Scripture.  We've started studying Ephesians together and it has been so good for my heart and for our relationship.  For far too long I've relied on sermons and community group discussions to shape my understanding of Scripture.  In this season when we our attendance at church is spotty at best, I need to take responsibility for my own spiritual development.  I'm hopeful that a year from now I will have a deeper understanding of Scripture. 

So there we go!  A handful of goals for this 29th year.