Happy New Year!

What a wonderful time of year! We can look forward to God's promises and a fresh start!

I want to encourage everyone to not only make resolutions in your physical world...but to do so in your spiritual life. God's word says in 1 Tim 4:8 "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

I have begun to realize as each year passes by, how very little our time is here on earth. With the passing of each of my children's birthdays, holidays, and school years, I come more to terms with the fact that my wish lists (i.e. resolutions) are quickly turned to regrets. Things I wished that I had done, improved, attempted, said, or prayed about have become my bucket of expired wishes. I don't want to live that way anymore. I really hope to tackle 2009 head on! I want to leap into the year with joy and enthusiasm, hope and faith. (Just a quick add on...I've begun to notice my own birthays are passing at the speed of light...and I feel as if not only does time fly, as the saying goes, but time also marches on...MY FACE! Can we say wrinkles boys and girls? But, back to my joy, hope, blah, blah, blah.)

This year, in fact, I think I will keep my wish list simple. Intentional. Things that I want to be and do well, not a list of physical changes I want to make to the person that God made me. In fact, most of you would agree that if we live intentionally for Christ, we will want to take care of the vessel that God gave us to tool around this earth in and the physical resolutions to get fit, lose weight, clean up our act, drop a bad habit or two, etc...will all take care of themselves.

I figured if I wanted my year to go better, I had to do better. So my list of 31 flavors...one for each day of every month...is below. I hope you will be inspired to try just one thing on the list yourself. We can make 2009 our best year yet!

Here are some of the maid's wishes from the happiness hotel: (in no particular order)

1) Support missions and missionaries in a meaningful way.
2) Kiss my kids, every single one of them, every day. (Yep, even you, teenager! Sorry.)
3) Say yes to my kids about something every day. (Just to the right things.)
4) Begin new family rituals...and make them special.
5) Unplug the phone at dinner.
6) Unplug the t.v. for a week.
7) Laugh every day! :)
8) Pray expectantly.
9) Give something away every day. Sometimes it will be a smile, sometimes a gift.
10) Hold my baby. A lot. He won't be little for long.
11) Don't think about house work while holding my baby.
12) Sing or put on music an dance when doing house work.
13) Sing and dance for no reason at all.
14) Stop yelling. Unless the house is on fire.
15) Complain less.
16) Worry less. (Eventually, maybe not at all!)
17) Don't compare myself, my life, my kids with anyone else...be uniquely me!
18) Learn to truly forgive myself and others.
19) Talk less, listen more.
20) Cook, bake, and eat without guilt.
21) Do everything without guilt! (Everything that God wants me to do, that is!)
22) Tithe faithfully.
23) Support and trust my husband more.
24) Take no for an answer. (Don't try to control/manipulate anyone.)
25) Say no...and let that be good enough. I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. (Except floss.)
26) Express gratitude every day...and don't forget to send thank you cards for kindnesses.
27) Begin and end my day with Jesus.
28) Get my Master's degree. Or at least start it.
29) Do more things out of love and not because I have to. (i.e. Serving my family, etc.)
30) Enjoy the journey. (I can do all things through Christ!)
31) Don't talk about people negatively.

That is a lot to chew on. I know. I am having a hard time swallowing it all myself. But guess what? I know I can do it. I also know that it is worth doing. My kids might just look back one day and remember me as that Godly, loving mom that had a gentle and quiet spirit...but I would settle for kids who called me on Mother's day. So...here goes my attempt at being the change that I want to see in the world. (Thanks Maya Angelou.)

Happy New Year!
The Maid