That Time of Year

It's here again.

Another winter. Another month. Another year. When you struggle to remember to put down "2017" instead of "2016" on your schedule. When a new year of fresh possibilities awaits you. When you reflect on the old and think about what you would have changed. When you consider the new adventures that you have planned, the goals you've forged for yourself.


For me, every New Year is a time of thoughtful contemplation. I reread my old goals, consider what I got done, and think about what I would like in the New Year to accomplish. Oftentimes, I make too many goals. I usually don't complete all of them. But at the same time, I make these goals with that in mind and stride ahead despite all, happy with what I do accomplish and mindful of what I can try again in the next New Year.

And here we are, another year gone by and another year ahead. To be honest, 2016 was not a bad year but not a good year. It was far better than 2015, which my family has dubbed one of the worst years we've gone through with the diagnosis of cancer in my little sister and multiple losses of relatives as well as some overbearing hardships we all went through. For me, 2016 was a year of a lot of learning, predominantly in character building. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was learning. I did lose a very dear friend and a mentor, the elder Mr. Hansen, but I know he is in heaven with the Lord. I watched three close friends go through trials unimaginable and tried to be there for them. I got the blessing of having fellow blogger Jesseca Wheaton come visit me, and befriended fellow Eastern Washingtonian Ivy Rose through an online connection. The trials with my horse Bodie were exactly that, trials, but there is always light at the end of a tunnel. He is getting better, and I still have him, and even if I am faced with the possibility of not being able to ride him anymore I am blessed I still have my horse.

My work life has taken a forefront, my writing I pushed to the back when I shouldn't have, and I struggled to make enough time for my horse whom couldn't be ridden but still needed attention. This past year taught me some things in self discipline and time management, things I'm not good at and am still learning. I had a hard time putting my family as my priority, and not procrastinating so much. (Particularly these last two months when I finally got a video game I wanted for three years and spent way too much time on. *cough, cough* cue School of Dragons.)

So much has happened over the last twelve months. For one thing, it went soooo fast. For another, it's gone and I cannot relieve it. But that's part of the fun about life; now I have twelve more months to carve another story, another chapter, and more adventures. :)

So with those reflective thoughts, I present to you my 2017 word.

Consistency.

I want to be consistent with my family, my friends, my horse, job, everything. I want to be consistent in my writing life, to complete projects I set out for myself, and to cut down on my procrastination and time management issues. Most importantly, I want to be consistent with God, with Christ, in my relationship with Him. 2017 is a year I pray I can deepen my walk with Christ and not care so much about what I think other Christians expect me to act and be like, to be confident in who I am in Christ and what He expects from me.

I want to be consistent.

So with that word as my guide, here are my 2017 New Years goals.

1. To change my Bible reading from evening to morning
2. To have a prayer/Bible journal
3. To journal every night in my regular journal
4. To write 500 words every day
5. Be a better communicator, be it email or messages or just talking in general, being honest in how I feel but polite as well.
6. To spend as much time with Bodie as I can and do what is best with him, no matter the cost or the time.
7. Complete Mornellys and publish it
8. Complete third/fourth Mornelly book
9. To actively pursue a better relationship with the Lord
10. Not think everyone is judging me, to be able to accept who I am in Christ and not try to be like everyone else simply for the sake of being seen as a good Christian, to truly be strong and at peace with who I am in Christ.
11. Post a blog post at least once a week
12. Complete the 2017 Book Challenge
13. Get my driver's license
14. Possibly, a trip to a certain state to see a certain friend

So there you have it. I know I will fail, I know I will mess up, but with God, all things are possible. (Matt. 19:26 also, be sure to read the rest of that section, 'cause it says a lot more than that.)

For me, setting goals is all about the journey, though the achievement is nice too. For example, I set a goal for saving $160 ($5 a week) for Europe this past year and managed to save $336.81! So this year I'm setting the amount at $7 a week. It's awesome to look back at the end of the year and think, wow, I completed that.

But you know what was even better? The fact I had the self control to do that, and not spend it on something else. That was character building. 

So Happy New Year, everyone. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may you walk in His ways, and may you enjoy this year and live it out with joy and happiness! Every year is different, and we have the choice of choosing to be joyful and happy in all things, or letting the bad drag us down. The Lord is good, the Lord is God, and we have Christ to rely on.

Take care, my readers, God bless each and every one of you!

I have discovered I love parrots. I enjoy going to visit the parrots at Sparky's, it's quite fun. This is my parrot friend Nino.