Friday, December 26, 2014

Lessons Learned in 2014

I tell Jude whenever he complains that something is too hard, "We are Butlers.  Butlers do hard things!"  He has inherited my impatient, give up before you've tried much at all approach to new and challenging things so it has become an ongoing theme for the family.  2014 has been full of hard things and I've learned (the hard way too often) some lessons.

-Communicating is one of the hardest things for me to do effectively.  Still, communicating awkwardly or poorly is better than shutting down completely for too long.

-The sensitive makeup of my body requires me to respect my physical boundaries better than I have.  If I'm to stay healthy, stay emotionally SANE and fulfill the roles I'm given, I have to sleep better, exercise a lot, eat well, and keep stressful situations at a minimum.

-A peaceful, abundant spirit does NOT come from being busy, doing what everyone else is/seems to be doing, or griping about my problems.

-In every relationship, but especially my marriage, it is necessary to balance the fact that I can learn a lot from you and you can learn a lot from me.  It is easy to demand it be one-sided.  We all have things we bring to the table and we all have space to learn from others.


I feel convicted to make a difference in the lives of others around me, but often I feel so limited by who I am and the season of life I'm in. It's also become clear that I cannot continue a hectic pace of life, at least I can't and remain healthy.  As a result, the idea of simple abundance has become my focus. So, 2015, I have a goal or I guess you could call it a theme I plan to use throughout the year.

Make a Difference with Simple Abundance


What are you hoping to do in 2015?

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