Monday January 5th, 2009
I learned a lot in 2008.
I learned about adventure, believing in my children, cherishing my husband. I taught myself to dive, to enjoy, to have faith and to ask for joy. Grace, hope, listening and kindness. I learned about nurturing others, incubating my thoughts before I write and about making new friends. 2008 was good for being present, being quiet and being a student. I read more, I wrote more and I yielded more. I learned about tenacity and voracity from my children and about exposure from my own experience. I worked on being unruffled, being open and ending well.
Now that I’ve “learned” so much, what do I do?
Knowledge, wisdom, experience is nothing without action.
So I’ve decided that 2009 will be a year of “doing” for me. Of course I’ll learn a lot through the doing, but I know that I need to act, rather than sit back and wait for all the learning to infuse.
(This is the closet I’ll ever get to a resolution.)
What am I going to do?
I have no idea.
But at the very least, I’m going to try to let all the thing I’ve learned affect my normal life. I want to be a more nurturing friend and a more tenacious parent. I want to be voracious in my joy and notice the tiny graces in my day. I want to be known as a listener, a grace-giver and an optimist. I want to be a student of my daughters. And I want hope and kindness to be my daily goals.
2009 for me is a year for doing.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO “DO” IN 2009?
What a lovely, thoughtful way to begin a new year, Sarah. Happy New Year!
ooohhh…
interesting.
I have really enjoyed following alongside you while you “learn your letters.” You are a great writer!
am i the only one who initially (mis-)read the title as: Doing It In 2009?
I was thinking, “you go girl!”
alece – you are hilarious.
janelle – awww…thanks. =)
thanks hannah and debra for the sweet words!
a year of doing… a great thought. i have a lot of growing to do in 2009 and beyond.
great post.
i look forward to the posts that will share what you are “doing,” big and small.
it is interesting “doing.” in the past i have done much “doing” on my own, instead of waiting for God to prompt and move. this last year i have been waiting, for him to prompt. i am not a good waiter. but everyday i would just tell God i was willing.
you know that in the past he has called me to coordinate the Feast of Tents (YEEHAW for the upcoming one!!) and the Harvest Celebration.
these events are great and nourish the body, but i have wanted something to reach out to the community, and after much waiting, he prompted! i am so excited that our church is going to do a Pumpkin Patch in Oct. complete with pumpkins, hay rides,painting faces, photo opps., and more. our community has NOTHING like this. and this will be a beautiful way for the body to be the body. so that is what i am going to do this year. it is simple and exciting!
and i look forward to all the things God will “do” with me that seem insignificant…like fighting for a friend in prayer, making a meal, singing a lullaby to my children, learning to play the guitar, chocolate chip ice cream with a friend
A church-sponsored pumpkin patch sounds so cool! we might just have to make it up your way in october too!
My new Year’s resolutions looked a bit different this year….I took some time to list my “insteads”.
You can check them out here:
http://repurposed.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/happy-new-year/
im not exactly sure yet. but i expect it to be a big year. i really do. its starting off with a writing challenge (also, NOT a resolution. hope.)
we learned a lot as a family in 2008, and are still in a growing and stretching process. it feels to us, that this year will be the year to put this growth to work.
scary – but we’re diving in!