One Thing - 12/31/13

The blog has been quiet over the past week as we were spending time in Minnesota with our family. We are back home now. Home sweet home. While it was wonderful to be with family and have a break from the daily routines of work and caring for our home, it is so good to be back. Hopefully some pictures from our time away will find their way onto the blog soon. But not tonight. On this New Years Eve, the suitcases are unpacked, boxes are still full of gifts, the kids are asleep, and I am thrilled to be back in our comfortable bed. 

For the past few years, Mike and I have gone on an after-Christmas date to review our goals for the previous year and set new goals for the new year. We did that yesterday. Many of our goals went unmet in 2013, mostly due to me spending 3 months feeling nauseous and lacking energy and motivation. One goal I did meet was a personal goal to read 3 complete books in the year. Prior to having kids, really after having 2 kids, my normal rate of reading was probably 3x this goal. Now leisure reading is at the bottom of my to do list. But, in 2013 I read 3 books! All of them are worthy of the time I gave to them.

"Give Them Grace" by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson - this book is subtitled "Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus." I fail daily at doing this, but God's Grace is so good as I strive to show our kids how amazing God and His grace are to us. This book is one of the most encouraging parenting books that I have ever read.

"Discipline: The Glad Surrender" by Elisabeth Elliot - I stumbled upon this book while looking for something else. I can't even remember what. One thing that takes getting used to with Elliot's writing, but that I really like is how straight-forward and plain she is. There isn't much fluff to her writing. It isn't descriptive and literarily pleasing, but it is so filled with Truth and practicality. The book focused on how self-discipline isn't an option of a believer but it is what we are called to when we respond to God's call on our lives. She looked at discipline in the areas of body, mind, place, time, possessions, work, and feelings.

"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp - Mike gave me this book for Christmas just over a week ago. I finished it yesterday. I can't remember the last time I read a book that quickly. This is one of those books that completely changes your perspective on life. There is so much that I could say about it. She wrote about how every thing, every little thing - the most difficult things in life, the smallest blessings, the little annoyances, the inconveniences, the pleasures, the ability I have in this moment to write these words - they are all gifts, God's grace over and over again. And, the Giver deserves thanksgiving and praise for every one of them. Not just simple words of thanks, but a life lived, marked by thanks to God.

For 2014, I reset my goal to read 3 books. I am hoping for 3 more that were as worthy of my time as these 3 were. Happy New Year!