Tuesday, December 31, 2013

End of Year Reflection

December 31st
This is the time of year when we reflect

 
We think of the happy and the sad.
We make a list of so many reasons to be thankful
Thankful for another 535,600 minutes of life;
Thankful to still be walking around on this planet;
Thankful for the incredible yet untapped potential of the next 12 months
 
We determine to learn from our mistakes, to let go of the pain,
to remember the happy, and hang on to the good

 And we wonder, what will next year bring?
And we decide, what will I bring to next year?

 
I made a list of my happy, sad, wonderings and decisions
 (But I will not share that list on this blog (some of you are thankful to hear that (smile))

 I will simply share some of my end of the year thankful and wisdom*
And some end of year thankful and wisdom from others:
  

 
*We do not always have control over what will happen around us,
but we do have control over what comes from us;
and what comes from us can often change what happens to us.
~ Connie 

 
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book.
Write a good one.”
~ Brad Paisley
 


 
 
*I do not understand, or even like the pain of growing.
But it is a fact that in this life pain is a part of growing,
so I am thankful for it
 ~ Connie
 
“For a new year to bring you something new, make a move.
Like a butterfly tearing its cocoon!
Make a move!”
~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

 

 
* Rejoice in the moment. Be thankful for the now.
Just the fact that we are living is amazing.
And second chances! Second chances are double amazing!


 ~ Connie







“I have the opportunity, once more to right some wrongs,
to pray for peace, to plant some trees,
and to sing more joyful songs.” 
~ William Arthur Ward
 
 
 
* Nothing is impossible!
But the impossible has to start somewhere.
Sometimes impossible comes from above.
Sometimes it comes from us.
Your impossible may just be waiting for you to take the first step.
 ~ Connie

 
“Whatever you can do or dream you can…begin it.
Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
 
 

 
* If you look long enough in the mirror,
keeping always a smile on your face, you will see it – beauty!
~ Connie
 



“Maybe this year, we ought to
walk through the rooms of our lives
not looking for flaws, but looking for potential.”
~ Ellen Goodman
 
 


 
*Don’t look back
except to be thankful for how far you have come.
Don’t count today as an ending,
count it only as a stepping stone,
Keep moving forward.
 ~ Connie









“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,
with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
~ Oprah Winfrey
 
 
 
 
*Our bodies, souls and spirits were created for joy, and for today
We were not built to carry the weights of worrisome things
past or future
When a load of yesterday or tomorrow is heavy on our shoulders
we begin to break
 
When we break, the load will fall off
that is a good thing
 
But how much better if we lay it down before we break
that is a better thing
 
 We have been given a body, a soul, and a spirit
capable of so much
And when we are weak, He is strong
And His love, His strength, His wisdom never fails
~ Connie


 


 

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning”

~ Lamentations 3: 22-24
 



 
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,
do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
~ Isaiah 43:18-19
 
 
 
 
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for good and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.
~ Jeremiah 29:11





 
For those of you who are happy tonight
I rejoice with you! Party on!



 
For those of you who are sad and lonely tonight
my heart hurts for you! Don’t give up!
 
 

For all of us,
I pray a healthy safe new year, f
illed with answers to long prayed prayers,
and joyful surprises at every twist and turn;
for dreams fulfilled, and goals recognized;
and for hearts filled with a thanksgiving
 that breaks through the grey,
breaks through the sadness,
breaks through the weary,
and motivates us to make the most of this
amazing life we have been granted.
 
 

Welcome 2014!
I am thankful for you!
~ Connie

 
  “The Voice of Love” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thevoiceoflovebook.com

 “Take The Thank You Challenge!” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thankyouchallenge.org
  
 
If you haven’t already done so, consider TAKING THE THANK YOU CHALLENGE!
What a great way to start the new year!   www.thankyouchallenge.org
Learn more about Connie or her books at www.connieruthchristiansen.com