Annual Review (2015)

I noticed the other day, in talking with a friend, that I had forgotten a handful of "good" things that had happened this year... and of course I can't remember what they were at this particular moment. Either way it was then that i realized it was that time of year again... time to look back at the year, look at the goals and expectations I had for the year and evaluate and process it all.

There's a real value in setting achievable goals and there's even greater value in processing what did and did not pan out.

{If you're interested in seeing where i get this yearly motivation to review life, check out this blog for more info}

So as I look back through my spreadsheet I am quite certain I am ready for a new year. I wouldn't wish this year away by any means, but it's just been very ...unexpected.

What Went Well:
Our T-shirt and Tamale fundraisers for our India trip... and quite frankly just an amazing amount of the Lord's provision along the way! which of course resulted in our first family mission trip. There's no way to sum up in one sentence how impactful this was... we literally talk about India every. single. day. in some form or fashion. and I cannot even begin to explain how much it means to me that my children now understand and share this part of my heart.

I did manage to put together a 20 minute documentary/video journal of our trip and we've been able to share that with close friends and i think that'ss helped our debriefing process.

The kids and I volunteered/participated in an after school program that is held just down the street. We had been looking for a way to connect with people in our immediate community and this has been a good start to getting to know some of the kids.

I've grown more consistent with "whole foods" in our diet. Things that may have seemed more daunting at first, are now more familiar... like making bone broth on a regular basis and making more things from scratch, etc...

As far as the goals and things i had written down, this about covers it for the "well" part.

and of course looking back, i fully understand why other things didn't... things like my homeschooling goals weren't even set because i had determined to focus on the India trip january and february. then, when we got back in april and dealt with an onslaught of things, it pushed my goal setting back. ultimately though, the summer afforded the opportunity to really establish a decent routine... so the fall definitely had more consistency than any other year.

Same thing happened with things like a garden. once we realized i wouldn't be here for major planting season, i just had let that goal go, which was remarkably more difficult than i thought it would be.

Things that did not go well (or as expected)
  
I did expect a great many things following the return of our trip, but much of it flew out the window within a matter of weeks.

I did not expect to carry the load of worship team responsibilities for a span of 4 months. 4 months sound too short as I type it out because it felt like years. This brought an amazing amount of stress to my life, to the point that I was dealing with anxiety and panic attacks on a regular basis. I was not leading well. But the Lord was good and kind in His provision of a worship pastor for our church.

i did not get even remotely close to the amount of planning and work i wanted to accomplish with a certain event for next year. and looking back i'm sad that one of my goals was to send a team to India for the holidays, and that just didnt' even get to the planning stages.

The afterschool program, while a good learning experience for me in patience, respect, submission, staying calm in chaos, seeing past particulars and focusing on heart intentions, has been difficult for a few reasons and I'm still trying to determine how to resolve and respond to it all.

Finally, having to spend a significant amount on dental work, automotive problems, and loosing our renters has made it difficult to meet the needs of others the way I truly desire to do so. (and of course with that comes the thought that perhaps i still don't fully understand what sacrifice really means).

so I know I've said it already, but yeah... I'm ready for a new year. I've tried to have the perspective that every day is new, and that helps for sure... but i am really really really ready for the newness of the year to come.

I can definitely appreciate how this year will help next year to be even better, and I know there's nothing I can do to change what was, and I know that God was sovereign through it all... I just need to reconcile that in my heart and mind ...and move forward.

so. now I can begin the process of looking ahead... and I'll share that with you soon. Remember, if you want to conduct your own annual review, check out this link for more info.

blog ya later.