Whew, what a week it's been! The week between Christmas and New Years always feels like I'm trying to get caught back up. I have to be honest, it has been wonderful though - scrubbing kitchen floors, doing some post Christmas baking and getting to pick my book back up and read a little has done this lady some good!
The final day of 2022 has arrived. I honestly don't know how I feel today. Looking back over this past year certainly provides a great deal of emotions. My heart is honestly filled up when God provides a cozy, cloudy, drizzly type day. These are the kind of days I can light a candle, warm up a cup of tea, sit with the Christmas tree lights on and "relax". And some days, I think it is ok to do that. I consider these my "reset days" and on the last day of the year, I am thanking God for that!
Last year on 12/31/2021, I chose "EMBRACE" as my word for the year, along with Psalm 51:10 as my scripture to follow. I would like to admit that I embraced as much as I could this year, but life is unexpected and some things you just don't plan for. Some situations aren't as easy to embrace and be joyful about and yet, other aspects of life can fill us so full of joy.
I am not a New Year's resolutions kind of gal. I know myself too well and let's face it, life gets busy and it is too easy to fall off the bandwagon (guilty!). For myself, I think it is; however, incredibly important to take a step back and reevaluate life and priorities. I believe it is important to have goals as well. I'm not sure what your take is on New Year's; maybe it is just another day for you, perhaps it is a REALLY big deal and you make multiple resolutions - we're all different and whatever works best for you, you go for it (please share, maybe I could get a few good ideas from you too)!
For me, I want to choose to reevaluate my life today. Not just one area but many. While I believe physical health is incredibly important, I ultimately want to work on my soul this year. I want to work on my spiritual health, my prayer life and reading the word of God. This year, I have decided to be part of a Forty Days, Forty Miles challenge. Starting tomorrow, I will walk one mile a day for the first forty days of the year, while also reading daily scripture and meditating on my reading each day. To say I am excited about this challenge would be an understatement!! It is a pretty fun idea and I hope to make this a habit beyond just the first forty days of the year.
Although I have many goals for myself personally and also for my husband and I as a couple, one of my goals is to continue writing her Farmhouse View, with hopes to expand and include more content as well! I'm praying on it to see where God leads me (this definitelyyyy wasn't in my plans for 2022!) And of course, I'm always open to suggestions :)
While resolutions and reevaluating are both important, the biggest takeaway message I would like for this post is this: it's ok change those resolutions and goals throughout your year, there's nothing wrong with conforming to the changes in life. Embrace the unexpected, praise God for the good, pray through your struggles and always be open to the possibilities.
I never anticipated all that would change in my life this year - all the blessings of marriage, a new career, family shakeup, writing a blog, moving my husband to Mercersburg, amazing new friendships, saying goodbye to our family farms, exciting church opportunities, unexpected health challenges - but here I am. God has blessed me and He has been my anchor through it all. He has provided for me every step of the way and you know what, He has for you too! I know each of us has had struggles along the way - unanticipated events, challenges, heartbreak, frustrations and disappointments. But you're here and God has woken you up to a new day because He has a plan for your life and for you! How exciting is that?! And we certainly all have something to say a big thank you to God about with a smile on our face and a little dancing in our hearts! I don't know what each of our days hold coming into this new year, but I do know that God is the Holder of each of those days, I know that He loves you with an everlasting love, I know that He provides miracles, I know that He will direct your paths, I know that He will never let you be lonely and I know that He provides new mercies each day for you.
As we begin this New Year, I hope you are able to take time for yourself each day, buy that fancy cup of coffee, take a day trip to someplace you've never been, write a card to the friend you've been meaning to catch up with, read the book that's collected dust on the shelf, start a new opportunity, but most importantly, I hope you remember to take time at least once each day to thank God for all the blessings of your life. Even on your hardest days, remember there is always a praise tucked in there somewhere.
I contemplated for a few months over starting Her Farmhouse View- this quiet, little, sensitive heart wasn't sure if it was ready to be humble and vulnerable quite yet, but the nudge never stopped (thank you God!) and I would like to extend the biggest thank you to each one of you who have reached out to me with words of encouragement to keep me going. My "introvertedness" has had me question if it would be easier on the challenging, hurtful days to keep to myself but each time those feelings have creeped in, someone has reached out and picked my heart back up with the kindest words and actions- thank you.
I still haven't chosen a word for the year yet (I know time is ticking, but these things can't be rushed!) but I did choose a scripture I would like to follow and continually remind myself of on a daily basis, actually I chose two. I couldn't decide and they were both just too good! I'd love to hear what you choose for the year and why!
To each and every one of you and to your family, friends, coworkers, church community and beyond, I wish you a happy, healthy, loving, and prosperous New Year. May you always remember the love God has for you in each new day. Blessings to you my dear friends!
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