Word for 2013 - LISTEN UP!

Last year, I chose ENJOY! as my Word for inspiration and personal direction throughout the year.  You can read my post about that HERE if you'd like.   I wasn't sure if I would even remember that determination to ENJOY a few months later - it seemed a lot like a resolution, easily spoken and then forgotten.  But I was surprised to find that I did indeed remember, and it helped direct my thoughts and actions quite often throughout the year.  I thought back on that Word frequently, and I made some different choices because of it - good choices, positive choices.  So much of my quilting and blogging journey last year was an exercise in pure ENJOYment!  I had so much fun playing in my sewing room, and I made some really wonderful new friends through blogging.  Oh yes, I did ENJOY much about 2012.

Now in 2013, I want to take that process a little deeper - 

I want to LISTEN!

I don't believe we can truly enjoy anything unless we stop and LISTEN beforehand.  Think about that!  In order to create beautiful art - quilts or any other form of art - we must LISTEN to what is in our hearts and create what we hear there.... right?

And can a friendship - or any relationship - really be enjoyed to its fullest if we don't LISTEN?  

I don't believe so.

I believe LISTENing is key to a happier, more joyful life - in every area of our lives.  And I must confess that I have not been as careful a LISTENer as I would like to be.  Sometimes, we can focus too much on the things we enjoy, rather than on the relationships that are critical to our joy in life.  I believe this is where I fell short of my goal last year.  I failed to ENJOY my important relationships as much as I really wanted to, and certainly not as much as they deserved.

I don't feel as though I have done my best this past year as a LISTENer.  I am sad to think that there have been times when I've been too busy enjoying, and I've neglected to stop and truly LISTEN.....

  

to my Lord ... to my family ... to my friends ... to my world....

This year I intend to spend much more time LISTENing and less time talking or doing....

And that must start with refocusing on quality time with my Lord.  

Blogging has taken so much of my time this past year that my time in prayer and LISTENing to my Lord has suffered.  I plan to get back to that place of hearing what God has to say to me before I step out into my days in 2013.  I read the following the other day in one of my devotionals....

"Those who refuse to listen to God prefer to go their own way - to trust in themselves.  

To be their own God."

There is no way I can live my life trusting in myself!  I am not that strong, or that wise, or that able....

So I may be doing less blogging this year - we will see how it goes ....

But for sure, I will be LISTENing to hear the wisdom God has for me throughout this year....  

And I will be LISTENing to hear the unspoken words in the hearts of my loved ones this year....

And I will be LISTENing to hear the needs of the world around me....

And I will be LISTENing to my own heart for the creativity that is longing to be heard and brought forth....

And I will be LISTENing to you!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Word for 2012 …. ENJOY!!!

Some people like to establish a theme or a specific goal for the new year, and I’m usually not the kind to do that.  I rarely even set resolutions, because they are almost impossible to keep.  Right?  

However, this year I have decided that I would like to concentrate on growing my life in a positive way.  Not that my life is not great – it is!  But I know that I take a lot of my blessings for granted too often.  I love God, and I love my family, but how often do I really think about how blessed I am to have the freedom to talk to God and share my heart with Him any time I want to?  And how often do I really just sit and ENJOY talking to my husband or children or my mom about the little things in their lives?  No agenda, no plans, no problems to discuss, just ENJOYing each other?  This year I am going to make it my goal to be more purposeful about my life and how I spend the gift of each day.

I plan to concentrate on ENJOYing my quilting life more too.  Now, I hear some of you laughing – NOT NICE!!!  Remember, Santa may be gone for a while, but he’ll be back and he’s already started making his list!!!  What I meant by that statement (before I was so rudely interrupted!) is that I have realized that I am grinding my way through the “process” stage of some of my projects and not ENJOYing the journey as much as I’d like. 

I absolutely LOVE the planning – visualizing it, choosing colors and fabrics, etc. – and I equally love having that finished quilt in my hot little hands!  However, when it comes to the process part of cutting, pinning, sewing, un-sewing, sewing again, changing my mind on colors midway through, finding out my seams are not a true quarter-inch and remaking blocks….. well, I sort of get bogged down in “wishing” instead of “enjoying” – wishing I was done!

I know that what I need is a good attitude adjustment!!!  I need to relax more and fret less!  After all, I love to sew!!!  I’ve been sewing since I was 12 and would not be a happy camper if I could not sew.  So why do I mentally rush through the enjoyment I should be getting from sewing seams together to form wonderful shapes like a puzzle, watching piles of lovely sparkling blocks grow, the sense of accomplishment with each row assembled?  That’s a question I’ll be asking myself throughout the year in 2012!  I plan to make a concentrated effort to be more present in the journey, and to try not to be in such an all-fired hurry to get to my destination.

So my word for 2012 is ENJOY!!!  I plan to ENJOY my time with my Lord every morning.  To ENJOY time with my husband and my family.  To ENJOY time with my close friends.  To ENJOY the responsibilities I’ve accepted in my various quilt guilds.  To ENJOY even the cold sting of winter and dark, gray rainy days.  Because all things are a gift from God and I am so grateful for all He has blessed me with!  And I am going to choose to allow even the mundane events in my life to lead me closer to Him.

Have you set a goal for your life for 2012?  I hope you’ll share your journey with me!   Let’s ENJOY 2012 together!!!

Blessings!

Teresa

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