I realized I didn't write a blog post for this month and I thought I should fix that. So, here I am, writing a blog post but I don't really have a topic.

I thought I could do another TCO3 post and talk about what our little band of demon slayers would be doing for the New Year or what their resolutions would be but they'd only have one resolution and that would be to defeat evil and save the world. (Or would that be two? You get the point, no one is worried about drinking more water and watching less tv, and let's be honest would I really be a part of anything that means less tv? I don't think so.) As far as their midnight countdown celebrations you can find out in book three of the trilogy.

I thought I could give my year in review of 2016. I could tell you what was the best of times and what was the worst of times and wax philosophical about how it all makes us who we are and we are better and stronger for the lessons learned. That's all probably true. It would make me sound wise. My holiday brain has me all sideways though so I can't focus on pearls of wisdom. I need sass and sarcasm right now.

I thought about a take on pesky resolutions. You know the things we make at the end of the year so we can say, "New year, New me!" But they usually only last for two weeks and then we slide right back into our old, comfortable ways. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for resolutions but I think we should set small specific goals that are attainable rather than make big statements without any sort of plan. Joining a gym when you have never ever worked out consistently is probably not a good plan. You can tell yourself that by paying for that membership you will be more likely to actually go and workout but then it will be cold, or rain, or snow, or you'll have plans or whatever and you'll miss a day and your routine will get wonky and then you will stop going. (That was a really long sentence but its truth I know from experience.) I'm not gonna talk about resolutions though.

So... I am left with very little options as to what to talk about to end this year and ring in the next. That isn't out of character for me. I have never really been in to the New Year's hype so to speak. I don't want to live from one year to the next. I like to live from one day to the next. I think we get too focused on the year, or the next five years or ten or twenty and we forget about today. There's nothing wrong with a five-year plan, but our daily choices will determine the success of that plan. The habits I walk out 24 hours at a time will help me flourish or not. Instead of deciding what will be different about 2017 I prefer to ask myself what needs to be different about tomorrow. Where can I be better than I was today?

Where did I waste time? (Procrastination fairies are real and they infest my head.)

Where could I have shown more kindness, or patience, or grace, or love, or compassion?

Where could I have cut some sugar, or fit in some yoga?

Where should I have made more time for Jesus?

When I take inventory of my day I may find that I was far from perfect (shocker) and that is ok. I can do better tomorrow. Maybe just by a little, itty-bitty, tiny bit, but I can be better. If I do that every day I will find that I have created habits that will lead me where I wanted to go, better yet, where God wanted me to be.

Where does God want you to go in 2017? Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? What small step can you take today to start walking in that direction? Because whether you like or not, you are going to get there one day at a time so you might as well just take it one day, one choice, one step at a time.

End 2016 by praying for the New Year and asking God to help you each day see where you could do better and to help give you the motivation and means to actually do better, even if it's just the tiniest little step. It still counts, you are still making progress. I'm going to end 2016, my year on purpose, by intentionally taking this coming year 24 hours at a time. Some days it'll probably be an hour at a time because I get cranky and need more coffee. Join me?

Happy New Year and Happy New Day!!

PS: I said it wasn't gonna be about resolutions but then it ended up feeling a little resolutiony so, yeah...Yes, I know resolutiony isn't a word but it sounds good. Maggie would go with it. ;)