GIFTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Instead of New Year's Resolutions I am making a list of Gifts.

I am going to give the gift of one hundred letters, cards or handmade post cards to others this year. I made a list recently and there are honestly almost one hundred people I want to write to so if I accomplish this it will be because I want to do it, not because I feel I should.

A dear friend gave me a gratitude journal for Christmas and I am going to fill it with the wondrous things in my life. Family, friends, my own miracles, insights, little things like a sprouting seed or big things like the mountain with clouds chasing across the face.

I am going to give myself the gift of all the things that fill me up. Watching the snow fall. Listening to the rain. Holding some one's hand. I will drink in the gift of friendship and pour it back. I will listen to compliments and not say things like, "Oh, it was nothing." Or, "No, I'm not." I will say, "thank you," and give myself the gift of remembering and treasuring them in my heart. I will give honest compliments, too.

I'm going to give myself the gift of slowing down, letting the silence take over, stop filling my life with information and start listening to what I already know, deep down in my spirit. I am going to trust myself.

I am going to give the gift of writing. This I give to myself and maybe someone else will benefit too. I may paint too but if I don't I'm not going to fret about it.

There are a couple of more things on the list but they are pretty private, I am honest and let you see into my soul but not all the way. Even my family doesn't see all the way, only God. As I accomplish these things I may blog about them. I may not.

I wish all who come here a wonderful year, full of bright promise. May the bright still be shining next December 31st. May your lives be filled with Joy and the knowledge of who you really are.

HEADS UP FOR CHRISTMAS--ACTUALLY NEW YEARS!

When I was growing up we had something called Mother Goose. Mother Goose came on New Year's Eve. She hid presents somewhere in the house. Maybe under the desk or behind the drapes in the living room. No more wrapping, Mom was sick of wrapping, so whatever we got was just put out.

Mother Goose came because Mom would start finding things she had bought for Christmas that she had forgotten about--she was one of the original bargain shoppers and started shopping for next year's Christmas on December 26th.

We never had the let down that you sometimes hear about after Christmas. We knew something good was coming on New Year's day. Now, you may think, what greedy children. I hope you won't. We had a joyful life, enough of the basics and some extras. One year Mom and Uncle Tom stood at the window and shook their heads in dismay. The toys were discarded on the living room floor while Jim--my cousin--and I were having a marvelous time, playing in the snow with two metal coat hangers we had bent into the shape of clumsy airplanes.

"We might as well have saved a lot of time and money," Mom said. "We could have given them some cardboard boxes, coat hangers, a roll of tape and called it good."

I continued the tradition of Mother Goose for my children. One year they got nothing but dart guns but we had dart gun wars all New Year's day and it started a tradition I will post maybe later this week.

Mother Goose is a good thing. A tradition worth keeping.

PS If you ever do buy dart guns for the kids but a few extras. Some always break and then there's a sad player on the sidelines.