2017!

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have come and gone, and today is the last day of 2016.  In fact, at this moment, there's just 65 minutes left of this year.  I'm not one for making resolutions, but there's something about the turning of the year that motivates me to start new things and make necessary changes.

One thing I decided to do for 2017 is to have a family mission statement.  I was inspired by this family's example.  I based ours on theirs, using some of the same phrases, but adding things that are personal to our family.  Sadie suggested that our motto be "Love, Kindness, and Generosity", and I think that's perfect.  And now, here's the Ellis Family's 2017 mission statement that we worked out together:

Because we have been given much, we will see the need and fill it by sharing what we have with others: food, clothes, toys, and God's love. 

We will encourage, honor, respect, and love one another by using kind words and gentle actions. 

We will practice gratitude by taking care of our belongings and always being thankful for what we have. 

We will strive to be peacemakers in all situations--quick to apologize and extend forgiveness to others. 

Finally, we commit to learning and living the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

 My overall goal for 2017 is to live my life more mindfully by:

• Simplifying my possessions and household tasks, 
• Limiting the commitments that take me away from my family,
• Becoming more aware of when I am trying to multitask, and changing my focus to one thing at a time,
• Consciously setting aside time to do the things I love to do: gardening, crochet, scherenschnitte, blogging, reading, and becoming better at knitting,
• And finding small ways to save money and conserve resources (including my own energy).

And so with 43 minutes to go, I wish all of my family, friends, neighbors, and the entire world a very Happy New Year!