Twelve for '12!
12. Gumbo! I'm making a pot of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo today, and I'm thinking that while life may be "like a box of chocolates", our New Year can be like a pot of Gumbo. Make the best of everything you got, use it all and throw it into a pot... Let it simmer and take its own sweet time, for the combination and the spice will make the joy all thine!
11. Planning! One always has to set goals, and make a run for achieving each and everyone of them! Make your list on New Year's Day, and call them promises, or plans or resolutions... My hope it that we all promise to play the game and try to achieve a level of greatness that we didn't reach during the year before!
10. Coffee Break! While the caffeine isn't always considered good for you, it's the break that I am touting! Let's take more time to "break", and put more time into being productive when we work... Breaks should not be procrastination, but rather relaxation!
9. Sunshine! I hope the New Year greets you with a little warmth and light. New light bulb standards take effect this year, and light will cost more for the bulb, and supposedly less on the "light bill". Get outside and enjoy the free stuff whenever you can... That big huge warm ball of gas in the sky can offer some amazing warmth, even on the coldest day! Sounds like a good analogy for another source of light. I won't preach, just point... God is good, all the time!
8. Fire! Like it or not Apple, the Kindle Fire made its mark this Christmas! Many will read more in 2012, and we all have to promise to get out of the habit of communicating just throughout the "Status Update" Let's read more, and write more... You know, multiple paragraphs and pages! Let's formulate and communicate thoughts and ideas, and not just feelings!
7. Water! In my Catholic Christian tradition, a simple reminder, every now and then, of my "Baptismal Promise" is in order... I am called to be "Priest, Prophet and King!" That is, I pray that we all can be a priestly people, offering a caring and compassionate hand to those in need. I pray that we can proclaim a Truth in life to all who can hear and see and experience, so that our actions will offer hope to a world that needs a kick in the pants every now and then! Finally, I pray that we all experience this existence of ours as one of great promise and expectation! We are ALL children of God, and a special people at that!
6. Mission Possible! OK... It's a tad hokey, but WE CAN DO THIS THING! Having a good year is knowing what's ahead of us, but also being prepared to adapt to the surprises! No, I'm not Tom Cruise, and I'm not sure I want to be, but we all have to use those tricks that we have up our sleeves for the good! OK, that was hokey.. I'll stop now!
5. Gold Rings! You've heard the sappy phrase that maybe it can be Christmas all year round. Actually, and never forget, that New Year's always happens during the Twelve Days of Christmas! If you count, I think its day 8, but no matter the day or the symbol, Christmas is a process that begins with the birth of hope (Christmas Day), calls us to plan how we can live out that hope (New Year's Resolutions), and challenges us to leave what we have in the hands of the one who will lead us, trusting in His promise, guiding us "home by another way". (Epiphany: January 6th)
4. Square! In 2012, lets think think ahead even more, and plan to lay a foundation for an amazing life ahead. Four points can make a square, and three dimensions makes it a block... Let's construct a firm foundation with "blocks" that our sturdy and strong!
3. Ideas! I'm a big fan of TED, and their motto, "Ideas Worth Spreading", is good rule for all of us to follow. Let's come up with three "ideas worth spreading" this year!
2. You and I! I'm not necessarily a "Little Monster", but one of my highlights from 2011 was watching Lady Ga Ga on Thanksgiving night challenge an entire world (or at least those watching) to be OK with who they are. I watched a grown up, and kinda weird entertainer, speak a Truth that was loud and clear to an audience of "little monsters", reassuring us that we are loved no matter what! I know its a stretch, people are moving on to the next "super star", but Ga Ga took us on a ride that culminated with the reality that it is about "You and I"! Notice the order... YOU then I... If Lady Ga Ga can match the Gospel call of making sure that the other guy is good, before worrying about the self, then I think us "monsters" can do the same!
1. Confession! I recently posted a link to a USA Today article on "Confession" entitled "In New Year, Be Honest With Yourself". It's not necessarily about the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation, but it is about something equally important... Internalizing forgiveness, humility, and self confession into your everyday life! (See a sample of the article below)
I'll wrap up this Twelve for 12 by simply wishing you a Happy New Year, and a lot of gumbo, great plans, coffee breaks, sunshine, fire, water, missions, continued days of Christmas, firm foundations, awesome ideas, "little monsters", and humble heart!
God Bless,
Greg
Here's an excerpt for the article based on the Paul Wilkes' book "The Art of Confession":
Each night before you go to bed (I recommend kneeling; it puts us in the right state of mind: thoughtfully humble), simply review the day. Let your mind meander back through it. As you do you may be surprised that you skip right over what seemed to be the major events of the day and find yourself instead pondering the seemingly inconsequential. Take detours; that is exactly the purpose of this exercise.
If you find yourself making connections between something that happened today and something in the past, all the better. Most of us are creatures of habit. Our objective is to find and reinforce those habits that enrich our well-being and find and eventually put aside those that are not in alignment with who we really are.
Some possible questions:
• What did I do that made me happiest?
• Where did I feel ashamed of myself?
• What action would I do over again and how?
• What moved me to act the way I did?
• What habits or tendencies worked for or against me?
• When did I feel most in alignment with what is best in me?
Try this simple form of self-reflection tonight. And you will be practicing the art of confession, confession in its purest sense: self-confession. Just zero in on one thing that showed you at your best and resolve to be that person tomorrow. Think about one thing that you didn't like about yourself and try not to repeat it.
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