Some Reflections on 2020
I have a look at this image, I look again on 2020 and my coronary heart is full.
It was the yr I realized to worth group and face-to-face relationships like by no means earlier than.
It was the yr I started appreciating my three older youngsters and my relationships with them greater than ever.
It was the yr I found anew that I actually, actually like my husband and we’re not solely finest buddies however we make an incredible group, too.
It was the yr of experiencing God’s faithfulness in a tangible manner as we navigated so many unknowns and needed to simply take someday — and even one hour — at a time… and belief Him for regardless of the future held.
It was the yr of shaking my head in amazement at the truth that — after years of infertility — God gave us the reward of candy Kierstyn Michaela. She has been the wildest shock of our lives and attending to be a brand-new mother once more has been such a profound reward.
It was the yr we stated sure to opening up our house and hearts to a valuable, tiny preemie boy who has ceaselessly modified our lives.
It was the yr of nice grief and loss as we stated goodbye to this boy who captured every of our hearts on the deepest degree, but in addition the yr that we bought to be a small a part of a good looking redemption story with him and his mama. We wouldn’t commerce that for all of the world!
It was the yr I took my first-ever 6-week maternity go away — after which ended up deciding to chop manner again on my work hours and obligations when it was finished… and it’s been so superb to understand that I actually don’t discover my value in my work (one thing that has been one in all my largest life struggles).
2020 challenged a lot of my core beliefs. Plenty of what often fills my time was stripped away. And within the stillness and the quiet, within the unknowns, in all of the weirdness of the yr, in all of the fixed adjustments, within the multitude of cancellations, within the ups and downs and highs and lows, I bought to cling to Jesus like by no means earlier than. And I realized but once more that He’s Sufficient.
On the laborious days and the nice days, within the grief and the gratitude, He was and He’s and He will likely be trustworthy.
Why I Didn’t Set Yearly Objectives Final Yr
In 2020, as a result of I knew I used to be going to be writing a e-book and having a child and certain fostering one other youngster or extra, I made a decision towards setting yearly objectives and simply set weekly objectives as an alternative.
Little did all of us dream what 2020 was going to carry! I look again and am so grateful I didn’t set large yearly objectives as a result of I might have possible not been in a position to accomplish various them.
I had thought that I might proceed on with simply doing weekly objectives in 2021 as a result of there are nonetheless so many unknowns on this planet. Nevertheless, the extra that I considered it, the extra that I felt like setting some objectives — largely round issues that might actually be life-giving (equivalent to a number of studying!) and household time, can be motivational to me and can be simply the hearth beneath me I would like proper now in my life.
I’m nonetheless planning to interrupt these down into weekly objectives, which I plan to replace right here each week.
My Objectives for 2021
You’ll discover that my objective record is shorter than regular and that my objectives are easier. I believe that is the proper stability of motivating me within the season of life I’m in whereas additionally not setting me up for pushing too laborious or exhausting myself within the course of.
Plus, I need to enable loads of wiggle room in my schedule and calendar and on my day by day to do record for having the ability to stay out my phrase for the yr: Present Up.
I’ve damaged these objectives up into the 4 areas of precedence in my life proper now:
Myself
1. Undergo all the She Reads Fact research for the yr. (Jesse and I made a decision to enroll to undergo these once more this yr — after taking a break for a couple of years. I’m so excited!)
2. End 3 books per week. (On the finish of the yr, my objective is to have completed: 52 audiobooks, 52 fiction books, and 52 non-fiction books. I do know that this objective is a bit of audacious, but it surely excites me, so I’m simply going for it! I’ll be sharing my record of books I plan to learn subsequent week!)
3. Fill out my behavior tracker each week. (This concept was one thing I realized various months in the past from Atomic Habits and it has made such a distinction for me. I bought out of the behavior and need to get again to it! If you’re occupied with me sharing extra about this, let me know and I’ll attempt to put collectively a publish about it.)
4. 8,000 steps a day = 56,000 steps/week. (I monitor my steps day by day with my FitBit Alta HR.)
5. Full not less than 1 craft per thirty days. (I plan to make use of a number of the craft kits that I’ve gotten from Annie’s Artistic Women’ Membership and Annie’s Artistic Lady Craft Membership. Since so a lot of you bought the improbable offers I posted from them, they signed me up for each subscriptions as a thanks! Whereas crafting shouldn’t be one thing I’m actually gifted at, I discover that it’s stress-free for me and one thing that challenges inventive components of my mind that I don’t use fairly often!)
Motherhood
5. Have a month-to-month date with every of the three older youngsters. (I’m planning on having the youngsters assist me determine what they’d love to do every month. I really like hanging out with my youngsters and I cherish our time collectively much more as they grow old.)
6. Learn 5 books aloud as a household. (After taking a break from studying aloud for a couple of years, we introduced it again this previous yr and completed a couple of books collectively. I’m committing to perform a little extra of it this coming yr — even when it’s only a few pages from a e-book a couple of occasions per week.)
7. Learn 12 chapter books aloud to Kierstyn. (I’ve been studying a chapter from a traditional youngsters’s e-book + a chapter from the Bible each morning whereas I nurse her. Whereas she’s nonetheless little and far of it’s over her head, I really like to ascertain this behavior when my youngsters are tiny in order that it turns into an necessary a part of their household tradition for essentially the most early life of their life. Plus, it’s enjoyable for me! I’ll be sharing the record of books I plan to learn aloud to her subsequent week.)
Marriage
8. Have a month-to-month date with Jesse. (Whereas we hope to often get an precise date evening out, since we are going to possible be saying sure to a different foster care placement quickly, we plan to not less than do one Date Evening in a Field package at house each month — even when we are able to’t get out for an actual date each month).
MoneySavingMom
9. Launch my new e-book, Love-Centered Parenting. (It launches March 16, so the subsequent few months a giant portion of my on-line time will likely be centered on media interviews and promotional stuff. I’ve by no means been extra excited a couple of e-book launch!!)
10. Determine on the subject for my subsequent e-book. (I signed a 3-book contract with Bethany Home in 2019 and now we have some doable matters for the subsequent two books, however I wished to attend till I had launched the primary e-book to nail them down. However I wish to have the subject and premise for the subsequent e-book finalized by the top of 2021 after which plan to write down it in 2022.)
There you will have it! My 10 objectives for 2021. I’ll maintain you posted on how issues go together with my weekly objective check-ins. 2021: let’s do that!!
Did you set objectives for 2021? If that’s the case, I’d love to listen to what they’re!
Picture by @emilyasheyphoto