Reflections

2011 has definitely been The Year of Change for us.  We started out the year with needing to change the transmission in our Suburban (which would also need to be changed in May and again in November!). Then, our landlord informed us they intended to sell our home and we'd need to change our address.  I debated some changes, professionally, and my husband pursued a change in job title with a promotion into management.  In May, he was offered a job that would change our state of residence and in June we changed our address (again) from our home state of Kansas to Oklahoma.  Over the summer, we experienced the change in our social connections and the safety that comes with living in a comfort zone as we adjusted to the lack of close relationships and social circles.  August brought the change of routine with the beginning of school and the huge change in my mom day-to-day duties when all four of my kids started school all day long.  It also brought a professional change for me as I started to work PT as a college professor at the University of Oklahoma.  Fall welcomed in the exciting opportunity to connect with CASA in Oklahoma and led straight into the busy holiday time.  The almost non-existent change in weather from Fall to Winter has been interesting.  Today is December 28 and the temperature was near 60 degrees!  Christmas brought some change in our family tradition.  We welcomed family into our home and missed others who weren't here.

Opportunity is the blessing of change.  Opportunity to grow, personally and professionally.  Opportunity to meet new people and build new relationships. Opportunity to try to new things and to seek out new adventures.  Opportunity to share experiences and learn from those of others.  Opportunity to strengthen relationships and distance yourself from others that are hurtful or not helpful to you.  Opportunity to remember to make those efforts once taken for granted.  Opportunity truly knocks on every door when so much change happens!

2012 will be a year of opportunity for us!  We'll use this next year to truly explore all the opportunity God is throwing our way and to open our hearts to stepping out.  We'll be trusting God and relying on Him even more than ever and hoping to glorify and honor Him with all that we do.  We will seek to let others know how much we love Him through our actions and we'll try to bless others more than we hope to be blessed.  There's opportunity everywhere and I hope we'll take advantage of it every chance we get.  That's my prayer for the coming year...what's yours?