There Goes My Life...

The last day of 2011.

This last day of 2011 I…

…watched a movie with Stewart.

…went for a run alone in shorts and short-sleeves.  It is a gorgeous, warm day.

…scrapped a Christmas layout.  At least one is done if I don’t get around to doing any others.

(layout credits here)

…am planning to read a little of the book I just started.

…am planning to spend a quiet night at home with the family.

In all honestly, I cannot say that I am sad to see 2011 go.  This year to quote a friend “has been a roller coaster ride.”  I love roller coasters, but I am ready to get off of this one. To paraphrase another friend, God got us through 2011, and He will get us through 2012. 

I’m not making a lot of goals for 2012.  I did last year, and I don’t think I fully completed any of them. 

I set a goal to read 50 books in 2011, and I think I am finishing the year with around 36 read.  I didn’t mark that one off, but that is a lot more than I read in 2010.  I enjoyed each and every one, and I am glad to have read the ones I did.

I planned to read a classic each month of 2011.  I think I read 10.  I started on the other two, but I haven’t finished them yet. So another failure you might say, but there are 10 less classics on my list of books to read.

I planned to lose weight.  A lot of weight.  10-20 pounds.  I started off great (as I do most years), but soon fell off the wagon.  I am not 20 pounds lighter or even 10 pounds lighter for that matter, but I am ending 2011 with a slightly smaller number on the scaled than I ended 2010.  I guess that is something.

I was committed to 2011 being the year that I took a photo each and every day.  I made it farther than I ever have before – some time in February I believe.  I don’t think that is a goal I will ever complete.  I think I need a different approach all together.

So here I am on the last day of 2011.  I’m not making a lot of lofty goals.  There are a few things I would like to accomplish.  I would like for 2012 to be the year of my second marathon.  I would like to scrapbook more, sew more and just craft more.  I have lots of new ideas for my business, and I am excited about those.  Chris and I are entering a new chapter in our lives, and while it’s a little scary, I know that we can make it successful.  I have all faith in him, in us and above all in our God.

So with that I say good-bye to 2011. I am so ready for a new year and new beginnings!

Jasper and Jingle Belle.

This hasn’t been the scrapbooking, paper crafting December that I had planned. Work-wise, I am pretty much finished for the holiday season, so I took a few minutes yesterday and put together a quick page about your elves, Jasper and Jingle Belle. 

(layout credits here)

Love their scarves?  The girls made those for them last year and left them for them to take back to the North Pole with them on Christmas Eve. When they came back this year, they were wearing them.  They get into a lot of mischief, but I have to say I am always sad to see them go.

Classic of the Month – December.

Wow has it already been almost a year since I started my quest to read one classic per month?  I have fallen a little bit behind in the past couple of months, but I am still working on it.  In my line of work, this is the busiest season of all, so I haven’t had the time to read as much as I would like.  I put down my November classic, but I hope to finish it before the end of the year. 

Last night at bedtime I was wanting something to read to wind down a bit from the day.  I knew I needed to choose a classic for December, and I was hoping for something holiday related other than A Christmas Carol.  I started scrolling through the free classic on the Kindle website and saw an old favorite. I quickly downloaded it and finished reading it in a matter of minutes.

I loved it as much as I did the first time.  However, this time I had much more perspective than I did when I read it the first time.  I don’t remember what grade I was in when I first read The Gift of the Magi.  I do remember that it was in my reading book, so it may have been an even shorter version.  Unlike many of the other stories I read in class over the years, this story has always stayed with me.

If you are not familiar with the story, it is the story of a young couple who can barely make ends meet. It is Christmas Eve and they both desire to give the other a gift that is as worthy as the love they both have for each other.  Della has saved pennies from the weekly food allowance.  Literally pennies.  She has less than $2 to spend on a gift for her husband.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it.  Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

This story touched me more this time I think because as a wife, a stay-at-home wife for the most part for the past several years, I could identify with Della.  Not receiving a paycheck each week, I have been in the position where I have put back money from budgeting so that I could buy Chris a gift.  Granted our money is our money, but I didn’t want to have to ask for extra that week because he would know exactly what I was doing. Granted, I have never been in the position where I only had $1.87 to purchase him a Christmas gift, but I could still identify.

And as her husband goes out each day to make a living for their family, she wishes she could give him more and feels bad for wishing for more.  I know that feeling, also.

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it.  He looked thin and very serious.  Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two and to be burdened with a family!  He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

You learn that …there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride.  One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and grandfather’s.  The other was Della’s hair.

Without giving the entire story away, you find that they both sacrifice what they value dearly to give to the other that Christmas.  Some might say foolishly.  I say unselfishly. 

Reading this again reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend lat week.  She is single, and we were talking about our generations.  This has been a study at our church the past few weeks.  She mentioned how she liked the way that Chris and I support one another in each others interests.  I told her that our marriage isn’t perfect, but I think it is as close to perfect as you get.  I also shared with her, with the disclaimer that I haven’t had marital problems so I might be wrong, that I think that the failure of so many marriage today is because of selfishness.  I think today most people are more concerned with their own wants and wishes than anything else.  That is one of the reasons I think this is a timeless tale. 

We can all learn from it. 

Love to the point of sacrifice.

Give to the point of sacrifice.