One littel Word for 2015 and a Few Goals

This is the beginning of a new year and with that come new goals and my new word for the year. This year my word is ENJOY. There are lots of reasons why I choose this word and I am going to have fun using it and creating with it all year long. My goals this year are adapted from a general conference talk given last October by Elder Klebingat called "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence.

First my goals... in Elder Klebingat's talk he listed six areas of our lives where we need to take responsibility. 1. Spirituality. 2. Physical well-being. 3. Whole-hearted obedience. 4.Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly. 5. Become really, really good at forgiving. and 6. Accept trials, setbacks and "surprises" as part of our mortal experience. As I work on these six areas of my life I am going to try and record my progress and some of the things I am studying about each topic. This leads right into my word because as I improve in these areas in my life I am hoping to "enjoy" the journey. Sometimes as we look into ourselves we are not very happy at what we find. We work to improve and then make changes. These changes can be very hard and so may seem like a chore or hard work that we are doing. That does not sound that fun and therefore not an enjoyable experience. Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy this life. He knew it would be hard and that as we occasionally looked inward to make changes we would not find that pleasant. I really believe that as I make these changes this year and improve I will be better able to enjoy all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I need to ignore all of the negative thoughts that come in my head and look upward and say, "Lord, I know you love me and your are here with me!".

The last couple of years because of all that was going on with taking care of my mother and some of the children that were having an especially difficult time I seem to have lost my desire to share and write. I worked very hard on my word last year but did not record any of the things that I was studying or learning. I kept them close in my heart. I see now that had I written down things I might have seen sooner the journey I was experiencing was not done alone. My husband and children were right there beside me; especially my Heavenly Father, He never left my side! I plan on recording my journey this year and as I do I will be able to look back at all the things I enjoyed and what happiness and joy that will give me. I want to see the gifts that my Heavenly Father has given me.

In addition to these goals I am also working hard on my family history and cultivating my art. It is going to be a busy 2015 and I am ready to "enjoy" every minute of it!