Embrace 2012

It seems as though friends in real life and bloggers alike have been focused on New Years resolutions more than usual. Or maybe not, maybe I’m just now tuning in, since I don’t typically make resolutions for the upcoming year. I know I’m a bit tardy to the party. But all of this goal setting amongst my friends has made me look at the year ahead with a bit more intention and care. There are areas of life that I’ve been thinking of tackling for a while and the start of the year is the perfect time to finally cement these ideas and get the ball rolling.

I don’t want to look back and think of what I could have done during this season of life. There are too many things that I wish I knew how to do, too many times I’ve thought of giving something or doing something for someone else but have not followed through, too many hours that have passed without purpose. So in the coming year, there are a few specific things I would like to accomplish, including learning how to sew, mastering the art of making nutritious baby food, documenting a bit more through the blog, as well as some creative and some relational things that I’ve been tossing around.

But mostly I want to embrace what we’re doing in life, as Collin is working on a PhD and I’m staying at home with the babe and everything that includes; I want to embrace our friends, most of whom are also very far from home and need community just like we do; I want to embrace our circumstances, living 5,000 miles from family, in a flat that has a mouldy bathroom. Sometimes I think, “When we move back to America, we’ll ______.” Or “If we lived closer to our families, then ______.” And I think that’s fine; it’s okay to dream and think ahead. And I’m not saying I won’t fall into lethargy or apathy from time to time, I’ve had far too much practice in those areas that it’s sure to happen, so I’m allowing lots of space for grace. But I want to be true to today, to this year, this first year of our boy’s life. I want to look back on this year in Cambridge and be able to see what I’ve learned, what I’ve accomplished and how I’ve grown and changed. I want to be able to see the ways in which we’ve made our lives more full and rich when we look back this time next year.

So raise your glass… here’s to embracing the important things in 2012. Cheers.

And if anyone wants to give me sewing lessons, that would be brill. :)