Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a lovely holiday. We're starting the new year off right continuing to develop a heart of gratitude connected with an outward display of thankfulness. The new year is a fresh start, a change of the calendar year, a chance to start anew. We can take the steps we've made and build on them, we can learn from mistakes and failures, or we can start something totally new. However it manifests in your life in the context of living a life of gratitude and thankfulness to God for His good gifts, let 2024 take your further in this intentional exercise. We're all better off for living a life that looks for the blessing rather than a life that gets mired in mistakes, failures, the hardships. Will doing this simple exercise magically get rid of anything bad from happening to you? Of course it won't. But it will help you to find those blessings, large & small, when we feel we are under the cares of this world. It will help you to keep your head above water when it's been a tough day, a tough week, a tough year. It will help you to see that in spite of things this world throws at us there is still God showing us that He is there with us. Remember this is a journey not an arrival. So let's just jump into 2024 keeping ours eyes open for everything that is good.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8
~ lovely birthday ~ this year 2 of my 3 adult children were here for my birthday which is a really nice blessing. It was a pretty quiet one as usual. By that time after Christmas everyone is peopled out and we usually just relax. Coffee and lots of reading finishing my last book of the year was how I spent the morning. Then in the afternoon I had a mother/son afternoon. We went to a chain bookstore and then to 3 local little shops downtown: a unique local bookstore, an apothecary and a collectible gift shop. It was a great time together. Then in the evening usually we would go out to eat but with Hubby and daughter not feeling 100% with coughs we did Indian takeout instead and had a lovely dinner at home. My youngest had to go back to the big city to work but she sent me some lovely gifts via delivery and I was thoroughly spoiled by the rest of the family too. I felt very special.
~ gift card win ~ the morning of my birthday I won a $10 St*rbucks gift card from their online game they have in the Christmas season. So on our Mother/son afternoon you know our first stop was the coffee shop!
~surprise gift from my blogging friend ~ Faith (Gold in the Clouds) and I have been blogging friends for many a year. We have a lot in common and share a faith in Jesus and common values and interests. We email back and forth and are share prayer requests knowing the other will pray and seek God on our behalf. This year she sent me a little surprise for my birthday. It was so sweet and made me smile. She knows me pretty good getting me book and library themed gifts.
~ Christmas Glow ~ we joined our good friends to take in the Christmas Glow - Glow around the World in our city. It's an indoor walk through light festival this year themed going around the world. It was a very pretty, enjoyable walk through. Afterwards we enjoyed a good coffee, good conversation and exchanged gifts. Our good friends are a blessing to us.
~ easing back into work ~ after more than a week off, meaning staying up way too late and sleeping in with no routine followed whatsoever, the first day back after Christmas holidays is always hard. But this whole week I've only had 3 or 4 kids instead of 6 and it's a short work week because of New Years day being Monday so the ease back into work seemed a bit easier. I am very thankful for that.
What have been your blessings this first week of 2024?
10 comments:
The lights look so pretty! The church by our house still has their lights on and I enjoy it. Good that you only have a few kids. Our grands go back to school on the 8th. Have a great weekend!
Great introduction to this New Year post Susanne. Belated birthday wishes. Glad you had a nice day. That light display looks lovely. Nice to have a short first week back to work after the Christmas break. Hope you have a restful weekend.
Happy New Year and happy birthday! How nice that you got to spend time with your children. It's such a treat when they are adults and live away!
Belated happy birthday! Sounds like a wonderful one! Yay for sweet, thoughtful gifts, and surprise ones like the S-bucks card. The Christmas Glow looks so pretty and sounds like such an interesting event. I'm glad your first work week back was a partial and light one. Best wishes for the new year!
Wow Susanne!! Those holiday lights are spectacular!!
It sounds like your birthday was just perfect and how fun to have a mom/son date. I love spending time with both of my daughters and thank God they are somewhat local to us.
I'm glad you love the birthday gifts!! :)
I'm very thankful for our blogging friendship and being prayer partners with you. I hope we get to meet in person some day. I'm still working on my husband about a trip to Alberta. hahah
ENJOY the weekend.
Hi Susanne. You had a very nice week! So glad that you were able to celebrate your birthday with your children. So nice. I love the Christmas lights you saw. Yes, it's hard to go back to work and hit the ground running after a nice break, so I am glad you could ease back into things. Have a great weekend. See you again soon!
Wonderful encouragement as we head into 2024, Susanne! Glad you were celebrated well. Happy Belated birthday! How nice to be able to ease back into work with fewer kids this week. Happy New Year to you and yours!
Faves are a WONDERFUL way to look back on the year, see 260 blessings (and more if there were bonus Faves). Glad you're continuing on and reporting yours for the first week. Lovely birthday wishes from near and far -- those socks cracked me up. The pink bouquet is just so pretty.
The Glow event looks really cool and perfect for photos. Happy 2024!
You had a great week! Shortened work week, fewer kids. Your birthday and all the celebrations that went with it. Winning a gift card. A fun time with friends. What a blessing the week was.
I agree that we can't change what happens. But we can change our attitude. That is what makes the difference.
Have a good week!
I'm so glad you had a nice birthday. The afternoon with your son sounds wonderful! Boys can be so fun to hang out with:) That light show looks awesome. Happy New Year, Susanne.
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