New Year, New Blog

Happy New Year! My prayer is that 2010 will be even more blessed than 2009.

Last year was a tough year for so many people. My area has been economically depressed for a long time and this past year just made things worse. I see how tough times have been for folks in all parts of town from the ritzy-rich neighborhoods to the humblest of places. As a home health nurse, I am in these homes all day long. I am privileged to see what is behind so many closed doors.

But through all the tough times, I see glimmers of light. Truly, I see families who are hit hard financially and in their physical health turning to their faith, clinging to the hope of Jesus to maneuver their way through their challenges. I see families depending on each other, doing what is needed to help each other. Family relationships that were strained are just a bit stronger as they all shoulder the same burdens.

The "experts" say this recession is technically over. However it doesn't feel like it is over. My own young-adult children are still dependent on their parents because they are financially unable to strike out on their own. This has made for some adjustments in our family dynamics. They are not children and shouldn't be treated as children. However, they still live in our home and should respect our standards. And chore charts just don't seem to work for them anymore. We all work different schedules and not all of us work full time. So this sharing of household responsibilities is something I am going to work on this year. I'll keep you posted on how this works out.

I am not one to make (and keep) New Years resolutions. Why set myself up for failure? But I do want to set some goals for myself this year. Usually, I set impossible-to-keep goals, such as keeping my house spotless all the time! Impossible! Six people live in this house. So the more realistic goals on my list include:
~Clearing off my kitchen table before I go to bed and setting it for the next meal. Hopefully, this will discourage anyone from using the table as the drop off and storage place for all items in hand as they walk in the back door. Since I am the most guilty of doing this, I should be able to keep up with this goal.
~Smile as often as possible. Sometimes, just having a smile on your face can change your attitude and approach to life.
~Participating in the new Bible studies at my church. I'm really excited to start Beth Moore's new study on Esther.
~And last, but not least, keeping up with this blog. My hopes are that this blog will be an outlet for me to share my faith, my interests and my life. I have all sorts of ideas and thoughts to share.

Do you have any resolutions or goals for 2010? Please share them with me. I'd love to get to know you better.