Resolutions

Ok I know I'm late posting this but I wanted to do a little post on Resolutions. I don't do well with resolutions. Something about writing down goals for me. I have a hard time writing them and an even harder time telling others about them because I feel more like a failure when I don't acheive them. This last New Years Eve I decided that I would try it. So I wrote down a list of things I would like to do in the new year. My list consisted of things like daily exercise (I'd like to lose a little weight but mostly to feel better on a daily basis), better scripture study, build my food storage, and significantly reduce our debt to name a few. I decided that these goals would start on the 2nd of January (seeing as though I didn't come up with them until half way through New Years day. I did pretty well my first day. And not so well on the second. My "third" day was Sunday and I had already resolved that since Sunday was a day of rest I would, infact, rest. That morning as I was getting ready for church I was listening to the radio (KOSY 106.5) and they had a "Glenn Rosen" story. In it he talked about New Years Resolutions and told a story of a lady who wrote down her goals and by the 15th of the month they were all broken. At the end of the story he said "We would be wise to remember the words of Michael McLean 'We should be more gentle with ourselves'". So my one and only resolution this year is to be more gentle with myself. It may seem like a small thing to do. It's all in how you interpret it. I've decided that if I manage to get myself out of bed in the morning before my kids wake up and go down to the treadmill then great I'm a step ahead that day and may feel better throughout the day but if not then I shouldn't beat myself up over it (so far I've done good with it).
So good luck to everyone in their "New Year". But remember to be more gentle with yourselves.

Like a gentle wind can blow the clouds from the sky,
Like a gentle touch can ease the pain of goodbye,
Like a gentle smile embraces empty souls in lonely places,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

Like the friend who gently builds us up when we’re down,
Like a gentle kiss can turn our world all around,
We’ve been hurt by others often,
we’ve forgiven and forgotten,
We should be as gentle with ourselves.

Life can hard, but we need not be
so hard on ourselves, if we will see…

Like the shepherd leads his flock with gentle commands.
With his gentle voice that only hearts understand.
One thing we can know for certain,
He has borne the awful burdens
So we can be gentle with ourselves.

One thing that I know for certain,
He will bear my every burden
So I can be gentle with myself.