Happy New Year

Well, another year has come and gone. Another baby has experienced her first year. We have been homeschooling for over a year now. This past year has been interesting, tough and yes, even fun. We have had excitement, sadness, love and anger. All, in all we have experienced life in all its forms and truly for that I am thankful. I am learning that it is true that it is through brokenness that I do become more able to experience true joy - the joy that comes from loving God. The joy of gratitude and love that can exist even in the most trying of times.

And, so, my family and I will begin this new year on the cusp of even more new and interesting adventures. I am just beginning my new journey towards greater healing and growth. We are looking for a new house to become our home as we continue to grow as a family. In homeschooling, we are entering our second year and are becoming more and more relaxed about it. DH and I have not even discussed entering MB in school next year - it has just become a non-issue now as we are enjoying all the benfits of this lifestyle.

I do not generally make New Year's resolutions. No real reason - but I generally don't. But I want to post a prayer that I am going to try to live each and every day of this New Year. It is generally referred to as the Third Step prayer in the circles I hang out:

God, I offer myself to Thee - to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"

My other goals for this year include: doing the right thing for the right reasons and living a intentional life while honoring those around me for the people that they are (not who I want them to be).

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So, onto more basic and mundane things. We are still working on the decluttering and reorganizing the house. I am even morefocused on getting it done with the real estate agents coming next week. Yesterday, I focused on the girls' closet. I took down the old closet organizing system that just wasn't working for us and put together a new, very simple one. I pulled everything out of the closet and sorted it. When I was done the shoe pile was cut down to a third and organizind very neatly on the low shelves for the girls to see exactly what they have. Only the few dresses that they will actually wear were kept out. Another large bagged was readied to donate and several bags to put away for hand-me-downs. When K saw the closet, the shoes and how neat everything was she almost vibrated from the pleasure. You would have thought Santa had come again. Yes, she will probably be the 'neat' one.

I am happy with what I have accomplished. Unfortunately, they are things like closets, which are not in my line of vision all the time. The bookshelves in all the rooms still need to be sorted and rearranged. The table is piled high again and our office could be marked as unsafe territory. But, we are getting there. After church today, it will be laundry and books.

Here is to a year for peace and grace in 2006!

Amy