I may have an unhealthy obsession with the New Year. Fresh starts are like cool, mountain air to me. Maybe it has something to do with my January birthday or my tendency to want to hunker down, but January is one of my favorite months. I read a lot of books, make a lot of soups, and cozy up together on the sofa at night with my peeps and my brand new journal to write goals and plans in a fit of terrific passion and inspiration.
This year was a little different for me. I talk a lot about serving others at my blog—so much so that I wrote a little ebook on the Heart of Hospitality—a little primer on serving the people in your life. I think we’re often plagued with the haunting question of WHAT IS MY LIFE’S PURPOSE, that we forget the important work we already do everyday for the people we love. We are already serving our neighbor in so many important ways—especially the “neighbors” who live in our house. The little phrase, “Just do the next thing your neighbor needs,” kept swirling in my head.
Don’t worry, I still made THE LIST. You know the one—that says run a half marathon, make a quilt, write a book, get a book deal, make homemade donuts, etc. I’m not the queen of resolutions for nothing. But, it hasn’t been the most pressing thing on my heart. I really want to serve my neighbor in better more meaningful ways and it reminded me how often our (my) resolutions are pretty self-centered. So, I made a new list that read something like this—listen better to my children, show kindness when it’s hard, laugh more with my family, inspire don’t demand—all things my children and family need a heaping helping of in a harsh and unkind world. Follow me over to Ruth’s place and I’ll tell you all about that list……