What will the New Year bring?

I usually don’t make New Years resolutions, in my younger days I used to but never did seem to stick to them. I did however quit smoking on a New years resolution quite a few years ago but that is about the only resolution that stuck long enough to make any difference in my life. I do like to make a new “plan” at the beginning of the year which I guess could be called a resolution, call it what ever you want....here is my new plan;

A while back a friend brought to my attention a devotional by Oswald Chambers, in it he answers my all time question, one that I have been pondering over and over for many years. “What is God’s purpose for my life?”  I won’t go through the whole thing but to sum it up in one sentence “His purpose for me is that I depend on Him and on His power now”. That’s it, abide in Christ every minute of the day and rely on Him and trust in His power every minute. That’s my plan. I have read many books on the subject of finding your purpose they have titles like these, “The purpose driven life” “a walk with purpose” “the  cure for the common life” “Prayer for purpose” “conversation with purpose” “what color is your parachute?” “What color is your kite, what makes you fly?” and many others, all good reads but I must have missed the point somewhere because I didn’t feel like they answered my question because I had it all wrong. I followed through on workbooks, filled out spread sheets, worked with graphs and pie charts...ect.  I thought my purpose in life was going to be something physical not Spiritual, like go teach English in the back allys of Mexico, go feed the hungry and the poor on the streets in Calcutta, sew clothes for the naked kids in Africa and so on. All God wants from me is to abide in Him continually everyday...every minute. Easy?  No. It’s not something that you put on your to do list and a week later you check it off..Done. Nope, it is to take me all my life, it will be on my to do list everyday until I die. It is to be my life.

I do also have another plan that I will be able to check off my to do list daily ( I hope....because I love checking things off my list) I plan on taking my eating habits here in Mexico home with me.  I plan on eating real food when I get home, not packaged or boxed food. I already don’t eat a lot of packaged or boxed food. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything in a can (except Pepsi of course) but I do occasionally buy and eat things I should not. I plan on growing my own produce in my newly built raised garden beds and my greenhouse, what I don’t consume in the summer months I plan on freezing and preserving for the winter. I am hoping my crop will be bountiful enough to share with friends and neighbours, maybe this will be the way to get to know my neighbours better, maybe my garden will inspire them to have gardens as well. Unless of course my garden turns out to be a dud.  This plan will take care of my physical being while the first one will take care of the spiritual which I think makes it a well rounded plan. I was going to add some project plans like knit a certain amount or finish some paintings or quilt so many quilts or save so much money but I think that would just add stress and disappointment so I will chalk those thing up as being little surprise bonuses when they happen. They are after all not necessities and therefore should not consume me.

What happened on the Island on New Years Eve? Not a thing. If something happened I missed it, I was in bed at 10 pm. The only reason I even stayed up that late was to finish one of the lace gauntlets. Ever try taking a picture of your arm? It isn't easy. Now I seem to have picked up "single glove syndrome" It is very common among knitters, or so I hear. When you finish a glove or sock it feels like such an accomplishment and it looks finished that you feel finished, but you are not, you are only half finished. I read stories of how it can take weeks, months even years to finish the second glove or sock. I do hope that doesn't happen to me but I really do feel very smug that I have finished my first glove.....I am even wearing it now and it's doesn't even bother me that I am only wearing one, because it is so pretty and feels so elegant and ......it looks finished. I am also finished beading the top of one sock, I finished it a few days ago....it looks finished too....for now.