The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.
Gilbert K. Chesterton
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2020 threw some curveballs to us and unlike some, I don't think those curveballs are going to be slowing down with the purchase of a new calendar to hang on the wall.
There were a good many wonderful things that were accomplished last year but I want to focus now on what changes this new year should bring.
After this past year... everything around me (myself included) just seems tired. Worn out. Spent.
Our washing machine bit the dust right after Christmas. Both of our couches have been broken for over a year. The kitchen aid and blender have been on life-support for months. Corynn's little car has some really weird stuff going wrong with it. The walls of this house are looking like 10 year old walls would in a house with six children. That is to say, tarnished and sad. I have gained so much weight this past year that Ineke is like 95% sure I have a baby in my belly. (I do not.) My body is still screwed up. The Bible reading challenge was so intensive that after the summer reading program was conquered (one of those wonderful accomplishments of last year!), I fizzled out in the fall. Don't get me started on the economy and worry about food scarcity or price increases. It is hard to anticipate what 2021 will bring when 2020 was so insane.
On top of it all- we have a very formidable financial necessity that must be met (ain't no wishing here) by October.
I am not sure how to accomplish all of my goals for this year (especially that last one!), particularly since our budget must be so strained this year, but I am not going to let that stop me from making them and working toward them. It's just going to require creativity. Right?!
With all the craziness of the world right now, my focus this year is going to be my HOME. Making this place as much of a haven as possible. A welcome spot. A pleasant place to be. A comfortable, restful place. A joyful place. A beautiful place. A safe place. A place that provides and sustains.
Some of this can be accomplished by checking it off with a pen.
Most of this comes from BEING joyful, BEING pleasant, BEING in a state of rest and looking to the Lord to sustain and provide. It doesn't cost a red cent. It does require prayer. Lots of it. It does require wisdom and the seeking of it. These are the very foundational things that can allow practical things to follow. These are the things that we all ought to be focused on every minute of every day of every year. Not easy to check off, needless to say.
What follows are just the 'checking off with a pen' goals...(in no particular order)
~ Daily Bible Reading (I made a plan for myself for 1 chapter of Old and New testaments per day since the Bible Reading program is a bit too intensive and my failures to keep up too discouraging for me right now. I'd rather set a smaller goal and meet it than a larger goal and fail.)
~ make one Christmas gift a month (lots more handmade this year because...money. ha!)
~ invite different families over once a month for a game night.
~ write one letter a month
~ replace broken couches with new (used) ones ASAP
~ buy washing machine (it's been almost a month now! AGGGHHHH!)
~ make covering for ragged top of toy box (probably crochet since my sewing machine is out of commission right now)
~ make coverings for stools in kitchen (ditto to above)
~ paint living room walls
~ figure out how to help my awful kitchen to be less awful. Even a plan would be nice... actually doing it may have to wait.
~ get sewing machine repaired
~ cover broken dining room wall (with what?)
~ Drink soda less than 10 times this year. (This gives me a few opportunities to fix any migraines that happen without derailing my goal entirely.)
~ Devote a small portion of money each grocery trip to stocking up on storable food.
~ Lose 20 pounds (it should be 40)
~ work on strip quilt top for anniversary gift (if my sewing machine gets repaired quickly!)
~ save or print photos/posts from at least TWO years of the beginning of this blog
~ make at least ONE baby photo album this year
~ buy seeds in January
~ meet that financial obligation in October
~ redo a current budget so I know where every single red hot cent goes.
"Little by little, one travels far." J.R.R.Tolkien
Also pondering these wise words:
Does anyone else have any goals for this coming year? I'd love to hear them!
11 comments:
I’ve been anticipating your yearly “Goals” post! I thoroughly enjoyed it—so much to comment on but perhaps I’ll save it for a letter. Speaking of which, “one letter per month”—I hope I’m the one for January! :-))))
I loved making your home a haven, we so desperately need a place for our family to find peace and rest with all the challenges of the outside world
i wish you had a amazon wish list for yourselves, my machine broke last April making masks, had it for 25 years and never had a problem. i love all your goals
Goals - hmm, just trying to get through day by day. Trying to stay upbeat and be an encourager to others. Trying to survive kittenhood. And trying to spend way less money. We just had a $2K hvac/hot water heater bill in December. I want to sew things, maybe even gifts, but I have to finish the mending first. And yes, seeds! Thank you for reminding me! I also need to print photos. And paint.
I agree that our homes need to be our havens, and most of achieving that doesn't cost a penny, thank God.
I hope your sewing machine repair is quick and cheap, and you can get a good washing machine and couches. I will add you to my prayer list!
That's a great list! A reliable Kitchenaid is definitely essential. I love mine and it gets plenty of use, but I don't have 8 mouths to feed, so I can only imagine what yours goes through. What is your replacement dream machine?
SimpleFarmMama- yes! I think you may be a frequenter to my writing desk this year. ;-)
Sherri- it's true. This is a pressing need for our time.
Debbie- sounds like your machine was an old reliable. Those are the hardest ones to have break because you wind up loving them. On the other hand, they are often the sturdy, strong and easy to have fixed kind! I hope you are able to get it fixed. Masks ruin everything! ha! ;-)
Jo- sounds like we have similar goals! And yes, praise God that many of those things making a haven don't cost a cent. Although, they require a lot more fruits of the spirit, so they can be more challenging to achieve.
Anonymous- the Kitchenaid I have was used for years already when I got it almost 12 years ago and wasn't anything fancy so any Kitchenaid would be a dream- I am not picky. But once you have one of those handy machines, I don't think you can ever go back. Yes, I work it very hard feeding my family but I think what really did it, though, was the constant butter making. I only make butter occasionally now so that the old girl doesn't hate me and spite me by stopping altogether. ha!
Taking the kitchenaid apart for a cleaning and greasing may help. Mine gets wheezy and slow every so often from overuse and debris. Tutorials are online.
I only have one goal and it's to stop giving up on my lifetime goals :) So time spent writing, exercising, etc. All the niggling things that I'll get to "one day" this year is all of those days.
Re: your Kitchenaide mixer, there is a really awesome tiktok creator who repairs kitchenaides and goes into detail about why they fail and how easy they are to repair and he sells parts.
He also has a website: https://www.mrmixer.store/
Some of his videos on cleaning and maintenance can also be found on youtube. Best wishes with repairs and couches! I know you will find some perfect solutions.
Such good suggestions F and Angela! Thank you!
That third picture down is perfection.
I'm re-using my goals from 2017. That's how successful I've been in faithfully implementing them! ;) Most are lifetime goals, though, so that's just the way it's gonna be until I leave this mortal coil. I should add some that I can cross off and throw away, just for the satisfaction of it (i.e. turn 42 years old in 2021, put on bathrobe each freezing morning, et cetera). Success without effort!
It's great to a handful of your goals already fulfilled, and it's not yet January. Now that's a hopeful beginning.
*see*
(One of these days I'll start reading comments before hitting the publish button.)
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