Resolve

I'm not a big "New Year Resolution" maker.  I tend to like to do things constantly in small ways.  I guess I feel a little bit overwhelmed thinking that I must choose what I need to improve on for the whole year at one time.  That isn't to say that I don't evaluate the going year, and think about the coming one.  I do that for sure.  But, I guess I don't do it like a lot of other people do.

We do have Christmas tradition that probably plays into this a little bit, too.  On Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day (whichever works for us) we take time to put in our little white stocking our "Gift to Jesus".  What it basically boils down to is our spiritual goals for the year.  We review how we have grown and strengthened our relationship with our Savior over the past year by reading our "gift" from the year before, and then think about the coming year.  Sometimes we share what we have written, sometimes we don't.  I really like it because it helps us focus our celebration of Christmas on the gift Jesus gave us--His birth, life, and death--so that we will live with Him again.  It also helps us to think about what we can do to fully give Him our hearts daily.

So, I guess what it is about New Year's Resolutions for me is that I have already thought about the most important aspect of my life, reviewed goals and set new ones by the time the first of the year rolls around.  Everything else is a little more secondary, I suppose.  Not that I don't have things I am working on--like healthier family dinners or more service to others or maybe actually think about exercising some day--but I don't have a new list.

Except one thing:  Update this blog so I can publish this year in a book.  I am still slowly adding posts from September through December and hope to get it done in the near future.  If you read in a reader, you may see some of these posts just randomly appear.  I will also change dates on some of the posts to make them appear chronologically when I "slurp" my blog for publishing, so posts may show up there as repeats.  If you don't read from a reader, then if you care about me visiting New York, pillow case service projects, and Harry Potter, you may want to occasionally browse through the archives of the last few months.  And that's your fair warning.  :)

And now, on to living a great life in 2012!  I think this quote will help me do it: 

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment. --President Thomas S. Monson

From the article, Living the Abundant Life. Which in four little words is actually a simply great resolution all on it's own, don't you think?