When I look back over the year, it's easy to feel that I missed the mark. However, I'm choosing to follow the advice from a blog post I recently read, Five Reasons to Reflect on Your Year. But because it's late, I'm only doing reason #1 - celebrate your accomplishments... But check out the link later for the rest of the reasons.
My OLW for 2017 was nourish. Here are the ways I wanted to experience being nourished (with my celebratory accomplishments posted in green):
Nourished by immersing myself in the good word of God - have managed recently to read scripture more days than not!
Nourished by extending love to family and friends - my two grandsons keep me happy and provide lots of laughter. The three retirees try to get together weekly. I visited my sister in CA and have a trip planned to OK to see my brother this spring. I'm trying to write more notes and letters to friends and family
Nourished by choosing to exercise - recently got the okay to work out at the gym after an injury sidelined me from exercise classes. I met with a trainer this week! (Why does everyone at the gym look like they don't need to be there? And where are the folks who look like me?)
Nourished by making healthy food choices - Have managed to maintain a small weight loss through Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Nourished by observing beauty in the world (Blogger refuses to make this phrase black, so I surrender. You win, blogger!) - I excel in this particular area. My phone and blog are filled with pics of beauty I stop to capture. I'm loving the bare trees of almost winter and hoping for snow sometime this winter.
Nourished by embracing quiet time - I created a cozy nook for myself in a spare bedroom this year and I love spending time there reading and writing and thinking and praying.
Nourished by sharing my writing - I'm still writing each week at TWT's Slice of Life and with Ruth Ayres and friends for Celebrate This Week (retirees are supposed to have more time, but we don't have the advantage of stories from the classroom, hence I often write about my grandsons and share their pictures).
Nourished by reading the words of favorite writers - It's been a fun reading year. I've focused on light reads and middle grade reads recently because (given the climate we're currently in), my life needs light. And favorite writers include my blogger friends whose words bring smiles, laughter, and sometimes tears as we share our lives together. I love my online community.
Nourished by stilling the demands that crowd my heart ... I've actually said no to a few folks recently, so that I can:
listen to the stillness,
savor the present moment,
stretch to grow, and always
abide in His love to
(bolded words indicate my chosen OLWs)
And as a nod to a bit of humor that we so need in today's world, I'll share my motivation for getting this post written.
Time to head downstairs and celebrate! (Can eating only two pieces of a four piece box count as a healthy choice?)
Yep. Like I said on Donna's post. Chocolate always wins! This is a lovely reflection on your word and your year. It seems your word has rooted itself deeply down into your heart and your days. I'm glad you decided to stop and post. BTW, I cracked up when I read your first lines. Poor December gets a bad rap, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I'll bet that list of accomplishments also helps to nourish you. I'd write a blog post for some Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels too (but I have just received a box of Purdy's Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Caramels, so it will be one of those instead). Have a lovely Christmas, Ramona!
ReplyDeleteOkay, before I start writing about your OLW, I am amazed that chocolate counts as a healthy choice. I need to buy that candy. Back to your OLW, Ramona. Nourish is such an amazing word and you managed to look at it from all side. This line struck me as an important one: "Nourished by stilling the demands that crowd my heart." My heart seems crowded lately so I need to stop, slow down, and not clutter my heart. Thanks for the reflection that is going to make me reflect.
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