not for sure on how to capture 2008 in a post. i guess i’ll start off by saying how thankful i am for the many blessings in my life. God has been really good to me.
as i grow older i like to think that i become wiser, stronger, and more mature. a better woman. but sometimes i doubt that, and i seem like the same ol’ glo i was a year ago. perhaps, from the inside i lack perspective and maybe 2008 really has changed me. it is interesting how we compartmentalize life by weeks, months, and years. is every 365 days really the beginning and end of anything significant? it’s a mind thing, but one worth capitalizing on.
the other day i was channel surfing and came across a church broadcast, some preacher from irving, texas was speaking about prosperity from the verse 3 john 1:2, where it says, “beloved, i wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” and he went on to say that there are 5 areas of prosperity: spiritual, physical, social, mental, and financial. looking at 2008 from those 5 angles…
spiritually in 2008 i think i moved a bit away from the “why God?” state and into a “whatever God” state. that sounds bad, but it’s been healthy for me. it’s like, whatever happen happens. i can’t be too angry about how things have gone or will go. as a christian, i think my number one duty is to love. show love. i don’t feel like i’ve reached out much at all this year, and showed love. i’ve had opportunities to go feed the homeless, but i’ve been too busy and tired serving my own life. nonetheless, to me God is so real, and my awareness of his existence in my life and in the world has deepened.
physically in 2008 i haven’t done well. i haven’t had any crazy illness, but i didn’t work out at all. i am thankful for my health but i don’t think i am cherishing it. i should look after myself better. i am flat out tired all the time. in 2009 i need to work on becoming healthier.
i am a very quiet, to myself, type of person and the whole social aspect of my life is an effort. i got to push myself out there because if i don’t i would be okay just staying in…in my own little world. and well, i am too fabulous to stay in all the time. haha. relationship wise, this past year i’ve been more open to guys instead of so standoffish. in college it was books before boys, had to stay focus, and so this past year i’ve been trying to move away from that mentality. friendship wise, i grew closer to someone (kelly from ky) who i’ve known since a teenager. reconnected. at the beginning of the year she urged me to call her, and then i told myself that i would call her on sundays, and now we talk multiple times a week and i visited her in ky. and it’s been awesome.
i am going to separate “mentally” into emotional and intellectual.
so emotionally speaking, at the beginning of the year i remember crying to my mom about my life. and feeling so much despair about it all. when i have my moments of “oh my goodness, my life sucks!” my mom (and sister) often tell me that things are not that bad, and my response is that “to ME” it is and of course that is all that matters! ha. but seriously, i have learned that disparity is often a state of the mind than a state of reality.
intellectually, i’ve been under stimulated. didn’t have many great conversations this past year. many times i’ve read the sunday paper and wanted to discuss something i read but had no one interested in doing so. i didn’t go to any lectures. i didn’t learn how to do anything new. i read a couple books, but that’s about it. didn’t really use my faculties to the fullest. however, i will say that as a teacher i have expanded my knowledge of some things.
financially God has been good. over the summer i was so freakin’ broke. i worked as a substitute teacher last spring and no summer work so no income over the summer. i survived, and got a decent paying teaching job. and well, now i am no longer freakin’ broke. i am working on making suze orman proud. but really, God is a provider. i know the economy is crazy, but psalm 37:25 says, “i have been young, and now am old; yet have i not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” trust him.
so there you have it! how i prospered, or not, in the past year. my year started off rough but towards the end things begin to fall into place. i think one of the most significant things that i’ll remember about 2008 is the reality of how things change, for the worst and the better. for example, over the summer gas was $4 bucks and now it’s a dollar fifty! things don’t stay the same.
as i look towards 2009 the possibilities are endless. i normally don’t do resolutions, i consider them goals. for 2009 my goals consist of…
1. eliminate kool-aid from my diet
i’ve given up carbonated drinks a long time ago, and so now i need to give up kool-aid — too much sugar in it. i’ve grown up on kool-aid.
2. run a 5k
i’ve already picked one out and it’s something i can do, i just need to put my mind to it. train, train, train. consistently. april 5th is the day i check this off my list.
3. study spanish in a spanish speaking country
okay, so this is a rollover goal. lol. i feel like i am in a better position to accomplish this goal this year.
“our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. we ask ourselves, who am i to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? actually, who are you not to be? you are a child of God. your playing small does not serve the world. there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. we are all meant to shine, as children do. we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. it’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – by marianne williamson, from the book a return to love: reflections on the principles of a course in miracles.
this is one of my favorite quotes. i’ve shared this quote before in my blog but it’s something i want to share again because it’s a good reminder. as children of God we are brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. go into the new year with that mindset.
happy new year!
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