My Christmas Card to You

What a year it has been! If you think you haven’t heard from me in a while, you are correct. I last posted in May, then took a brief break from writing online and social media. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Even though I took a break from my monthly Eternity postings, I did not take a break from my goals. I will try to capsulize the best parts of the last six months in this post and give a year-end goal update. I know the year isn’t over, but I am enjoying the holidays and looking forward to next year’s goals already.

PERSONAL GOALS
I made one goal in each category of Soul, Body, and Mind this year. For my spiritual life, I wanted to really focus on my prayer life this year. I have had wonderful times talking with my Savior, and He is helping me grow in this area. For my physical life, I focused on making some health changes. It has very much been a series of baby steps, but I am in a better place now than I was last year. I’m thankful for God’s help. For my intellectual life, I am in the process of a long-term goal of getting my bachelor’s degree. This is my first time in college ever, and I am loving it! God has taught me so much through my classes and helped me complete 4 semesters so far.

PEOPLE GOALS
My goals centered on people included Homemaking, Hospitality, and Homeschooling. We invited others into our home for some type of refreshment 12 times this year, including a large group at Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. We also had overnight guests for 13 nights this year. I tried to meet friends and family for lunch/coffee or offer “away” hospitality 10 times. These were times that enriched my year.

Our homeschool year is going well even with our frequent travel. We were sleeping in beds other than our own 53 nights out of 2022. That’s a lot for homebodies like us! The boys are doing well in their studies so far. I’ve missed our discussions since we are not doing as much together this year. However, we make up for it around the dinner table and on long car rides.

My homemaking goals have centered on organizing and decorating a few things. We have been here almost 2 years, so we’re trying to figure out what’s working and what isn’t. Jeff’s being doing a lot of projects. We hope it is a reflection, however dim, of our heavenly Home. Whenever I get tired while keeping my home or preparing for guests, the Lord gently reminds me, “I opened my Home for you!” I know I am not worthy of the invitation, but I look forward to being with Him someday in the Home He has built for those He loves.

PRINT GOALS
I did not make all the post updates I planned on here. I would say I’m sorry, but I enjoyed my break so… My other writing project, besides school papers, was the first draft of our family’s journey over the last 7 years from job loss to building a business. We are putting the finishing touches on the rough draft, and it should go to the editor this month. If you are interested in knowing when it is available in 2023, please send me an email and I’ll put you on the list.

My reading list, which includes school books and coffee table books I may not have read all the way through, tells me I have read 112 books so far this year. I should add 2-4 before December is over. My top ten, listed in no particular order, this year were:

FINANCE:
Baby Steps Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth — and How You Can Too by Dave Ramsey
Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem by Jay W. Richards

APOLOGETICS:
Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace
Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers

BIOGRAPHY:
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It by Paul Brand

WOMANHOOD:
Eve in Exile and the Restoration of Femininity by Rebekah Merkle

THEOLOGY:
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

HISTORICAL FICTION:
The Girl in His Shadow/The Surgeon’s Daughter by Audrey Blake

‘The only way to overcome idols in your life,’ beckons Tim Keller, ‘is to see that Jesus gives you freely what every other god says that you can only get through your performance. Jesus gives you through His blood what every other god demands through yours.’

From “The Greatest Gift” by Ann Voskamp

Your calendar is a better measure of success than your bank account.

Author James Clear, in his weekly newsletter