Approaching a new year and a new you

2011 has been a very interesting year. It has had its ups and downs but I like to think mostly ups. I recently joined a progress on-line Sorority focusing on Academic Excellence and Life Long Learning. This opportunity was a natural fit for me as I am a student in life and of life. Learning has been filling a void of sadness that in the past I have struggled to overcome. Learning can be accomplished at you own pace, in your own space and time. Learning is an opportunity to leave everything else behind, or if you choose, take it with you. Learning opens doors and broadens your horizon. Learning is to the imagination what food is to the body and GOD to the soul. Feeling this way, you can see that a Sorority that emphasizes academic excellence and brilliance was a natural fit for me. This is a good things to focus on as you set goals or look toward the New Year. Where are you and where do you want to be. Make the next one your year to achieve new goals and close out some old ones. Figure out what matters most to you and develop a plan of action to accomplish it. Having Sisters throughout the United States and the world in an on-line organization is a great start for me. The motivation is outstanding and the Sisterhood is heartwarming. Maybe, just maybe this is what I was missing for most of this year. Looks like the next one is already off to a great start.

Words of Wisdom

Don't make someone else your priority when you are their option.

Unhappy New Year

With two months down and ten to go, it looks like this is going to be a very trying year. Survival so far has been strongly dependent on maintaining a positive attitude, but sometimes, even that is difficult or impossible to do. SO the question becomes, what is really bugging me to make this an unhappy new year. First is the continued uncertainty about my health. Even with health care, I have difficulty rationalizing the counter opinions that I have received from the two primary care physicians that I have seen. The information from them both is the exact opposite of each other and this makes making a decision impossible for me. I have found that I need clear direction, no confusion and I can run with that. Where the information or advice is muddied or unclear, I have trouble making sense of it and I do not like to take action based on things that do not make sense. My second issue continues to be the economic situation we are all struggling with. Neither of my children has been successful in finding jobs and this weighs very heavily on my heart and my pocketbook. I love my children unconditionally and am not the kind of mother that can turn my head on helping them. Also, we are not alone. The outlook for this entire country is bleak if you are in the lower or middle class (which we are). The outlook for the wealthy is much better than it was when we got into this economic crisis and (thanks to the RepubliTeas) it will only keep getting better for them. I guess my next issue is being unlucky in love. It is a terrible thing to not realize the desires of your heart, and more and more I am coming to realize that my desire to be in an honest, heartfelt, committed relationship is not going to happen in my life time. Of all the things mentioned so far, this one makes me the saddest. I guess because I can see a solution to the other issues, but I can’t to this one. I am honestly unhappy and even sad that love has evaded my life and it seemed like such a simple thing to want.

So far it is an unhappy new year. Let’s see if it gets any better.

Hold on! You are closer than you think.

I received a wonderful book for Christmas. It is Joel Osteen's It's your time. If you love to read, need encouragement or just in general are a positive person, you will enjoy this book. The very first message in the book is that you are closer than you think. When it seems like the road ahead will never end and it has been all bad the entire trip, know that you are closer than you think. Your bumpy road has been endured because of your faith in what drives you. For me this is my faith in GOD. It has not been an easy year economically and I have no expectation that the one ahead will be any better. BUT I know I will make it through even though I stand in expectation of more difficulties ahead. GOD has brought me this far and I am closer than I think to overcoming obstacles and maintaining the joy in my life. GOD intends for us to have joy. He said it comes in the morning.

HOLD ON. YOU ARE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.