I've been contemplating what my first post of the year should be. I've thought about the friends I've lost in the last year, some through tragedy, others through circumstances beyond our control. I've thought about the new friends that have been brought into my life that I now can't imagine living without. I've thought about how faithful God continues to be in providing when I didn't think he was even listening to the cries of my heart. I'm not big on resolutions. I know myself well enough to know that they just don't work for me, then I end up feeling like a failure. Funny how I'm such an advocate of extending grace to those around me, but not so much to myself. I have set some goals, in no particular order:

*spend time with my God-children at least once a week
*read one book a month
*read my Bible daily
*be honest with the people I'm closest to about how I'm really doing
*blog more
*love more
*trust more
*pay off debt
*save more
*give more
*eat better
*work out regularly
*stay connected to far-away friends
...you get the idea.

I think goals are important so we know what it is we're working towards. I won't always do all these things listed here, but I'm certainly going to try. As Don Miller talks about in his latest book, I want to live out a meaningful story, not just a series of meaningless events. I don't know exactly what that looks like but I'm looking forward to figuring it out in 2010.

Happy New Year!