Dreams and Reflections

It was with a wee bit of fear and trepidation, that one year ago, I set forward on a new journey into uncharted waters.  My step of faith was beginning this blog.  It was January 21, Martin Luther King Day, and my birthday, so it was a good day for dreaming.....and a good day for making a wish come true.  

Today, a year later, I feel like an over-comer.  I feel successful and excited about all that I have accomplished and learned on this blogging journey. This has been a labor of love.....a creative outlet for writing and posting photos which has taken significant time, thought, reflection, and study.  I don't measure success as big or small, significant or insignificant.....I believe that each step forward in faith is important.  Each step of faith is an act of obedience.....and obedience the LORD can use to bring us closer to himself.  This blog has been a tool that the LORD has used to grow me closer to him, and my hope has been, and continues to be, that it will be a blessing for you in your walk of faith as well.

To be very honest, opening my heart for anyone to read does sometimes fill me with a bit of fear.   I know that sometimes I will make mistakes, sometimes my words will be  misconstrued, and some will misread my motives or my attitudes.  In sharing my Messianic journey to the Hebrew roots of my Christian faith, I realize that there are some who will be offended, some who will think I'm crazy or heretical, and some who may mock me even as I'm sharing my most heartfelt and sincere thoughts.   All those things would hurt me.....but they do not stop me.  Like you, I am on a journey, and I am giving myself grace to change and grow and make mistakes.....where I am today is not where I'm going to be in the future. 

This year I feel unintimidated about my dreams.  This year I feel bold.  This is Martin Luther King Day, the day before my 50th birthday, and again, I am dreaming.  Being half a century is quite a milestone when I think of it in terms of lifespan.  Statistically, it means that about two-thirds of my life is over, and I've got about 25, and maybe even a good many more, if I live to a ripe old age.  That doesn't sound like too much, knowing how time flies and knowing how health issues that come with age can creep in and get in the way.  So what am I going to do with the rest of my life?  What am I going to do in this next year..... this 50th year of my life?

I've been thinking about goals, big and small, accomplishments that are important or practical, things I'd like to try just for the fun of it, ways to love others more, especially my husband, sons, family and friends, and about what I can do to serve those in need.  Most importantly I've been asking the LORD to show me, "How do I seek God's glory and his kingdom above all?"  

These are some of the goals on my checklist (in no particular order) for this next year:

50 Wishes for my 50th Year

1. Go paddle-boarding - sounds like fun and good exercise.  
2. Another year of blogging - my goal is to write at least once a month.
3. Create a book of my blogs from 2013 - got it done already through Blog2Print!
4. Visit the LA shopping districts - never been.
5. Try 4 new foods.  (One down: I was treated to Lebanese food for my birthday and tried "karnabeet" - fried cauliflower with tahini sauce - I liked it!)
6. Paint my toes and fingernails 12 times - because it's a girly thing I don't usually make time for. 
7. Take a field trip with the hubby to Big Daddy's Antiques in LA - because it's a cool company my son used to work for.
8. Learn the Hebrew alphabet.
9. Do a collage series on the Hebrew alphabet.
10. Take a dog sled ride in Colorado with my husband - I'm scared but I'm gonna do it because my son's a musher and we have two free tickets!
11. Finish hand-writing the first five books of the Bible by mid-October and make a Torah scroll with my writings.
12. Pray for a 1/2 hour on my knees each week for 50 weeks.
13. Pray about a God-sized dream I have for 50 weeks.
14. Enjoy 4 coffee-house experiences - because I read this article.
15. Try 4 new beverages - I'm thinking about the seasonal coffee drinks, but who knows?
16. Prepare 4 new recipes.
17. Get a new camera so I can take better photos.
18. Photograph 50 flowers from my yard - don't know if I have that many, but I might.
19. Compile a book with the flower photos I take - because I love flowers, and because I appreciate the beauty that only God can create!
20. Get a massage - I have a gift certificate that's been waiting for me!
21. Purge at least 50 items from my home.
22. Re-organize the garage - need to do some purging there!
23. Finish my big tree painting.
24. Finish my painting/collage series.
25. Do some emergency prepping.
26. Walk on the beach or at the estuary 4 times.
27. Take 12 bubble baths......but first.....
28. Replace the bathtub stopper mechanism - so the tub will hold water.
29. Re-caulk the shower door.
30. Replace a bit of grout in the kitchen.
31. Give my husband 50 massages.
32. Create some products from my art.
33. Try to sell some art.
34. Read in bed regularly.
35. Get more sleep - to get rid of "the yawns."
36. Serve a meal or dessert to 50 guests in our home - but not all at once!
37. Make a habit of celebrating a candlelit Sabbath dinner.
38. Make a photo book of 50 hearts that I have painted or crafted.
39. Keep my desk free from a paper pile.
40. Habitually deal with paperwork  and manage it better.
41. Purge files.
42. Write out a 50 point love list to bless my heavenly Beloved.
43. Write out a 50 point love list to bless my man.
44. Write out a 50 point love list to bless son #1.
45. Write out a 50 point love list to bless son #2.
46. Write out a 50 point love list to bless son #3.
47. Help my husband with the bills.
48. Organize my photos on the computer.
49. Organize my photos in the cupboard.
50. Work on the family photo albums - I'm quite overwhelmed with this! 
 

*Now for a disclaimer:  I hold these goals loosely, knowing that I am not ultimately in control of my life, my health or my circumstances.  Today I can dream.  Today these are possibilities.  Tomorrow could change everything.  

Thank you LORD for today!