2012 is Our Year

The best words to describe the last two years is that they have been learning experiences.  I can't say that all of those experiences have been very enjoyable, but we sure have learned a lot from them.  This year some of that is going to change, I just know it.  We have a lot of learning experiences yet to go through, but I believe that more of them will bring smiles to our faces.  My sweet husband is embarking on a new career in a field that we have very minimal experience in.  Yet, the opportunities are amazing, if we just work hard and stick to it.  So, we will do just that.  I am fully prepared to support him in whatever he needs me to do.  I will be fine with him working long hours and coming home late, grateful that he is coming home instead of staying in a hotel like he did much of last year.  I learned that I can take care of a lot of things around the house that he normally took care of, so I can help him that way too, and I will be very grateful for the weekends when he can help me.  There is so much potential in our future and I am very excited to see where we are going.  We are putting together some plans and goals for our life. For the first time in a long time they actually seem attainable.  That feels amazing!  The next couple of months I believe will be quite trying for us, but I hope to soon be able feel like I can breathe again.  I look at all of the things that have happened in the past two years and how they have led us to where we are now.  I am grateful for some of those challenges which I can now view as blessings.  I am grateful for all of the things they taught me, all of the lessons I learned, but I'm also ready to enjoy the good things that come from learning those lessons.

That brings me to what I want to have happen this year.  I've wavered back and forth on the idea of New Years Resolutions.  On the one hand, if you need to change, do it now.  On the other, a goal without a time line is just a dream.  It seems like the New Year is just as good a place to mark time as any.  So, this year I have a lot of things I want to do.  I want to paint some more of my house, specifically my hallway and my bedroom.  I want to make a new quilt for my bed.  I want to grow either kale or swiss chard in my garden this year, along with other favorites that I already know how to grow.  I have a goal to attend the temple more often this year.  I don't have a specific number of times right now, but I will take that up with the Lord.  I want to get some shelves installed in my sewing room.  I still want to eliminate more of the "stuff" from our house.  I also want to plant some more flower beds outside so that we can have pretty colors next summer.  Along with those, I have lots and lots of things I want to do, but I'm not sure when I want to have them done by or what priority they really are for me.  And of course, there are the things that my husband and I have decided together, like planting more grass, raising chickens for meat, and maybe even going in with my brother on a cow for meat.  He has a lot more plans for the outside that I mostly just give him my input on, but he will be doing most of the work, so I let him figure more of it out.

The best thing is, I have such a feeling of hope for this year.  Last year I clung to faith, believing that things would get better because we were doing the best we could.  This year I feel like we've passed some kind of test and while there are more tests to come, we will be getting a reward for the ones we've already passed.  I don't know if that makes sense, but honestly, I will take these feelings of happiness and go with it.  Words cannot describe the feelings of peace and love that the Spirit of the Lord can bring to you, even when life doesn't make sense and you wonder where all the good things have gone.  Thirteen months ago I gained a greater understanding of the word "despair" and now I hope to understand better what the word "hope" means also.