Friday, January 27, 2012

One Word

Hello.  Grab a cup of tea and sit with me for a bit will you?  I know it's been awhile since I posted.   The Christmas Holiday was full, somewhat frantic,  and flew by and then before I knew what hit me, it was the New Year, 2012!  A brand new year, full of possibilities and promises.  I always face each new year with positive and anticipatory thoughts and usually think about a few "resolutions".  This year I decided to pick one word to encapsulate my desires for the year ahead.  As I prayed and asked for insight,  I seemed to hear the word BALANCE. 

At this season of my life and with the many things going on in my life, I felt it to be a fitting word for me to concentrate on.  I almost felt as if the Lord sent a special messenger angel whose job it was to keep whispering this word to me that I might not escape choosing it as my compass for this brand new year!  It seemed to stand out as I prayed and be in  BOLD PRINT in my mind consistently during the first few days of January.  As I took it in, looked at it, and tried it on, it seemed to be quite the best fit.

As I walk with the Lord in this season of my life, I am so much more aware of the certainty of less days ahead of me than of those behind me.  I have many things to remind me of this:  my oldest child is 31, my "baby" is now 28, I have a step-grandson who is 8 years old, my husband already gets the "senior discount" in some restaurants and is an AARP member, my glasses have gotten stronger, my sense of hearing weaker, I walk briskly instead of running now,  I need lists to help me remember certain things , I get nostalgic for the dumbest things, and I often like watching the reruns of old shows more than I enjoy the new shows on TV!  Oh well, it happens to the best of us.  But, the one thing that I realized hasn't changed is the need for daily BALANCE in my life, in fact I seem to need it more than ever.

The world has gotten faster, busier and more technological than it was when I was a child.   I recognize that I adjusted to these changes and "kept up" more or less, but as I age, I realize that what I want most now is to maintain a healthy balance so that I can enjoy and make the most of these days of my life. Certainly this is true physically for me.  I  seek balance in eating, exercising,  and sleeping, so that I will have as healthy a body as I can have, and get regular check ups with my doctor. I even started another blog on being healthy a day at a time.  But it is also important that I have time for my emotional and spiritual needs to be met.   I need to invest in my relationships with family and friends and of course to maintain my relationship with the Lord.  All these require time and energy.  One of the things that starts to lag as I get older is my level of energy, so I have to make choices.  That is where BALANCE becomes so much more important in my life now. I have to plan ahead and choose so that I can do the things I need to do and want to do with the energy I have at this time in my life.  I am fortunate that I am enjoying good health and don't have  many health issues yet that drag on my energy, but I still notice a difference.  I can't take a high level of stress like I used to when I was a classroom aide and then teacher for almost 20 years.  I have to prioritize more now and make choices about what I can and can't do with my time. I can't burn the candle at both ends anymore. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who has allowed me to be in a season of ministry at this time of my life and to facilitate a recovery program for women at my church and even  to follow my creative desire to write, as well as mentor women in my home.  Balance comes in when I have to make choices of how much I can take on and what I have to say no to.  Aye, there's the rub, right?

I am thankful that the Lord pointed me to my one word resolution for 2012, BALANCE.  I know it is the right word for me and I appreciate that He knows me so well and has a "good plan" for me for 2012.  As I take this year one day at a time, I wake up each morning and ask Him to help me to live out BALANCE in all my ways that day.  Believe me, He has shown me right away when I am getting off track and I thank Him for it.  I have shared my one word resolution with family and friends and they support and encourage me along the way.  We all need "cheerleaders" in our life don't we?

What would your word be for this year?  Ask the Lord to give you a word for 2012, and be sure to share it with those you love so that they can support you in sticking to your "resolution" this year.  Feel free to check back to see how I'm doing or to share your own ONE WORD resolution for this year.