The Life of Mrs. Miles

ROPE APLHA
(made upon your many & persistant requests LOL!)

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You may also want to check out a sweet QP download at CANDIE's blog which she put together using some of my December elements! Thanks for making this Candie!

A New Year.

A fresh start.

2007 is no more, 2008 lays open before us like an unwritten page waiting to be filled. If you're an artist, like me, its a crisp, brand new piece of acid free, no less than 140 lb piece of paper waiting to recieve whatever medium I choose to 'paint' with. But before I ever touch a brush to the new surface I'll be drawing on the gift of what I learned in 2007 – wisdom from successes... and mistakes. One can't have one without the other, really. It takes some mistakes to make a true success. We are human, and so we will continue to make mistakes. Kind of a big thought, that no matter what I aim to do this year, I WILL make mistakes. Being human means there is no hope in being perfect – thats reserved for God alone and the best I can hope for is to become more like Him.

And it also occured to me that I am somehow glad of the snow we have to welcome in the new year. (other than being cold half the time) The landscape outside is covered in a fresh blanket of white – all plants lie sleeping under it. Forced mostly inside its a time to reflect and reorganize. A time to rethink everything. A time to really seek the Lord, and to pray for Him to reveal what journey I should travel this year. I pray He will give me discernment in all I say and do. When to speak, when to be silent. (thats a hard one for me sometimes – just ask my husband!)

2007 was a year of finding and losing things. We made new friends, and lost some friends too. Thats always painful, though it has to be sometimes. We had a shakeup in our Church which caused us to lose some friends and was a awful and wearying process, but this New Year finds us starting anew. We will pray for wisdom to not repeat mistakes made. We moved into a new home which is a paradise to us – which meant losing our old landlords – who were dear friends, but thats a good thing. We've remained friends and one has begun to come to the school, so we still get time together. We truly built some deeper friendships with people we already knew – the sort of friendships which are second only to family.

For 2008 my desire is to be more discerning. To spend more time in the WORD and to live forward – to focus not on my dreams and desires, but to lay them before the Lord and to allow Him to reveal only what is for the good of His kingdom. What I do know, is that I can't do it on my own – I need His (perfect) strength.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Let go of the old,

Reach out for the new,

For the past is cold,

And the future is due;

Each year holds memories,

Some happy – some sad,

We must treasure the good,

Let go of the bad;

Make the most of each day,

At work and at play,

For the old year is history,

The future – a mystery.

~ Phyliss Ellison

What do you hope and wish for and plan for 2008? I'd love to know!

I thought you might enjoy this link for a cute online polar bear game - just click HERE.