I never look forward to January. We all have those friends, you know the ones that are going to "change the world" starting the first of the year. It is a lot of pressure...pressure that I don't think anyone deserves or needs. So, I boycott. I deliberately avoid my husband's requests to sit down and set family goals. I longingly admire people who start running in the super cold January weather. And, I keep adding half and half to my hot chocolate despite my knowledge of not only my lactose intolerance but where that half and half goes (straight to my you know what).
But am I alone in feeling this way? We asked the experts! (We mean you...moms of the world...or at least CUMC MOPS...)
Two of our members were brave enough to tell us like it is, let us know what they think about this whole resolution business and give us some insight into how they are going to live their lives in 2010.
Megan Drake, who you may all know survived 2009 as a nearly single mom (while her husband worked overseas), was just begging to be quizzed about her resolutions (or lack thereof). She's got to have some mad skills to make it through last year, so what's in store for Mrs. Drake in 2010? She's not afraid to admit that she isn't keen on the resolution business either (yay! partner in crime!). In fact, Megan shares that "mostly I think about eating black eyed peas, shooting fireworks and trying to remember to write the correct new date." (yay again!).
She is going to work on her posture this year, and has some family members helping her out who are hoping to work on the same thing. After writing this here, she also has 49 of her closest friends ready to call her out on it every other Friday.
Our next willing participant in the publicity committee's study into the tradition of the resolution (should we trash it or flash it?) is Lauran Helms. She DID make some resolutions! More power to you sister! She has already started waking up earlier than her girls to start her day, have some devotion time and/or do some quiet reading. I'm so happy to report that it is totally working for her! Her second resolution is to exercise and she explains that she's "failing at it." It's okay...that's the crazy pressure I'm talking about!!!
As a nice coincidence, both girls have Francine Rivers books to recommend as great reading material to start off 2010. Lauran recently read Redeeming Love and highly recommends it while Megan is reading Lineage of Grace and is enjoying it. Megan also gets a lot out of her new daily devotional book, New Life New You by Joyce Meyer.
I would love to hear what you have on your agenda for 2010! Exercise? Less yelling at the kids? More time with the Lord? Less gray hair and cuter shoes? (sorry, I put a few of my own in). Whatever you do to help you have a little more peace, a little more fun, a little more happiness, I think it is worth it! How do you do that? If I knew, I'd be rich (and have less gray hair and cuter shoes).
I think that Megan does a really good job of summing up what she hopes she sees when she looks back on 2010. She hopes she is a "good wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend." I think we can all agree with that one.
Good luck girls! I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store...with or without resolutions.
Dani
