Reflections

Around this time last year I posted about the previous year and what I hoped for the following. The questions came from another blog. I liked it and want to do it again, so here goes:

1. What do you want to acknowledge yourself for in regard to 2008?(What did you create? What challenges did you face with courage and strength? What promises did you keep to yourself? What brave choices did you make? What are you proud of?)
There are a few things I want to acknowledge myself for. I gained 20 pounds - that is not what I want to acknowledge myself for - after getting on medication. You might remember this. I was pretty surprised about it, and I actually set about to lose the weight. I started counting calories and exercising almost daily. That's pretty good for me. I did not lose all 20 pounds, and, after the last couple of months of holidays and no self-discipline, I might be back at where I was. However, I now know that I can do it. Another thing I did was cope with my anxiety issues. I have tried to deal with them as they have come, and am grateful for the strength and courage I have received to do so. My recent goal was to blog everyday for one month, and I did it! I am also glad that I was able to participate in Prop 102 research.

2. What is there to grieve about 2008?(What was disappointing? What was scary? What was hard? What can you forgive yourself for?)
Okay, *gulp, I feel like there's a lot to grieve about. I'm disappointed that I did not finish Nanowrimo. I'm disappointed that I don't have the faith or compassion to love like I should. I'm disappointed that I have not kept up with my school responsibilities like I should have. I'm sad that I didn't complete my resolutions from last year. I'm angry at myself for being critical of others. I want to forgive myself for not being perfect, which is one of the difficult things for me to accept right now.

3. What else do you need to say about the year to declare it complete?
To declare 2008 complete, I think I need to say that I feel like the Lord gives me humbling experiences from time to time because I'm not good at humility without reminders. I hope to become so, to learn how to do things for the right reasons, with the right motivation. I feel like I have been kind of lazy about some things this past year, but I did accomplish some goals and that is nice to reflect on and realize. Last year was supposed to be my year of self-care, and I think that I did pretty well with that - yea! In recognizing my accomplishments, I must recognize God's help. Without Him, I could not declare the year complete.

2009 is my year of organization.