2015 Goals

Obviously I am not a big blogger and that isn't likely to change this year but this seemed a good place to put my goals down for the accountability of having them posted for anyone to read. This past year was a spend in survival mode between being pregnant through a VERY long winter with no desire to write yearly goals last year. Then spending the summer months recovering from a csection. As I prayed and talked to Scott about this coming year these are the goals emerged as things that we want to focus on as priorities this coming year.  Each month I will break them down into monthly goals to help me monitor the progress better.

I realize a lot of these seem pretty basic but I my desire is to make small changes toward living a more intentional life. A lot of things on this list are things that we do occasionally but I by making them a goal I hope to take them from being occasional things to permanent lifestyle habits. In the next day or two I will be posting my specific goals for the month of January.

So for anyone interested here are my goals for 2015

2015 Goals

Personal - Makes spiritual growth a priority, Improve health, More disciplined in homemaking

• Read 30 books - I have a few specifically I am wanting to read but overall just want to be challenged to spend more time reading. This number also includes listening to audiobooks.

• Choose 1-2 new healthy habits to work on developing each month - I will assess each month what goal(s) to work toward that month. The intention is slow but lasting change.

• Spend 15 min journalling daily - Time set aside to reflect each day

• Finish Memorizing Book of James - This has been a goal for several years and I am hoping 2015 is when I actually accomplish it

• Declutter and catalog all totes in storage room - Most of the totes haven't been gone through since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago so I figured it is time to sort through them all

• Declutter 2,015 items in 2015 - Some of you may remember I did this back in 2012. The goal is to make do some major purging of items in order to simplify our lives so we have time for the most important things.

• One big cooking day each month to simplify meals - This is not a make all the meals for the month but just one day a month set aside to do as much prep for meals to help supper prep go more smoothly. It also requires that I have menus done for a month at a time.

• Choose one thing on my to do project list to finish each month - I always have a long running to do project list from mending to craft projects needing attention. I hope to get more than one done each month but this goal ensures I choose one that must get done each month.

• Work on developing 1-2 homemaking habits each month - I will choose these each month. The goal is slow but lasting change and making things that are occasionally done things that are regular habits.

Marriage - Goal: Invest time and energy to strengthen our marriage

• One date night out each month (alternate Scott & Ruth planning)

• Spend one night per week doing a Bible or Biblical based marriage book study with Scott.

• Read 3 marriage books

• Revive our Hearts 30 day challenges (rotate through one each month)

Parenting - Invest in our children with the goal of salvation, discipleship, godly character,& life skills

• Make specific daily prayer list for each child

• Choose one family/couple from church weekly to pray for and send encouragement card

• Focus on learning one hymn per month during family worship

• Teach kids to sit quietly (with notebook and pencil) for one hour while listening to a sermon - This is something we have been working on occasionally but want to make a more consistent effort to training especially the younger children to do.

• Spend 30 minute daily playing with kids - I know this may seem a strange goal but it is so easy for me to get busy doing stuff around the house that I don't spend time just sitting on the floor interacting and having fun with the kids. I want to make it a top priority on my daily do to list this year.

• Read 2,015 pages of chapter books aloud to kids in 2015 - This is another goal I had in 2012 and had so much reading old favorites and discovering new books with the kids.

• 30 min daily reading picture books (their choice) - This is another one of those things that happens occasionally but I want to make it a higher daily priority this year.

• Teach cooking/kitchen skills (have one of the kids help make at least 3 meals per week)

• Continue Grace and Truth Catechism Book

• Continue Memorizing Book of James

• Chore system for kids to help teach them to be self motivated & disciplined

Small Light in a Dark World

Today is set aside as sanctity of human life Sunday and as I sat this morning listening to my husband preach on the value of life I reflected on the many events in my life that have led me to hold the deep conviction that all human life from conception to natural death has value and is precious to God.

I thought of my mom. Of any person in the world she had by far the biggest impact in my life in teaching me to value all life. I watched as she suffered through the discomfort of many pregnancies. She was not one of those ladies who had a lot of kids because pregnancy was easy. She greatly disliked being pregnant but she loved life and God allowed her to give birth to seven children. I watched her suffer through cancer treatments. I stood by her bed and watched her suffering come to an end as her life here on earth ended and she entered the splendor of heaven. Through her life and death she taught me so many lessons about the value of life and helped me to see all life as a precious gift from God.

As the sermon continued my mind jumped to the cold January day 7 years ago laying on an ultrasound table and learning the precious baby in my belly was no longer alive. From the moment we learned I was expecting we thanked God for this new life and Scott and I looked forward to being parents. We grieved the loss of our child but we thanked God for the short time we had. I was reminded once again of how precious and valuable life is. 

I then looked down to the child I was holding in my arms, our precious boy James. For those who may not know James is autistic. He has many amazing strengths but also struggles with many things. A few months ago we sat down with some specialists to discuss some ideas for therapy and goals to help James. One of the questions that was asked of Scott and me was to think long term of what our biggest goals and dreams are for James. Scott responded, "Our greatest desire for James is for him to love God and serve Him with his life."  As parents we of course hope that one day James will be able to live independently, support himself, get married, raise a family etc. but those are all secondary goals and desires. James' life has value regardless of what he is able to accomplish. Watching his struggles and victories has taught us so much about the value of all life.

As I have been typing this I feel the occasional twitches of movement inside my womb. It never ceases to be an amazing thing to have a human life being knit together within my body. The baby growing inside me has been made in the image of God and is a precious gift to be cherished.  

We live in country where mothers can legally choose to kill their unborn babies, the foster care system is full of children who have suffered terrible abuse and neglect, those with disabilities are mocked and seen as a drain on society, the old are often left to languish alone in nursing homes.

But in a dark room a small light can make a big difference!