Starting Over
Despite my best attempts at trying to slow it down, once Thanksgiving was over, we cruised straight through to Christmas and, before I knew it, we were again at the begining of a new year. I love the new year. I love thinking about starting over with a clean slate. I make resolutions every year; sometimes I meet my goals, sometimes they change as the year progresses, and sometimes I completely miss it. Nevertheless, I have been given enough "do-overs" during my life to appreciate having them.
I set out making my lists, things I wanted to change, improve on, or finish this year. Thirteen days into the new year, and I had given myself a D. Instead of being successful, I found myself discouraged, disappointed, disorganized, and defeated. Continually, I prayed about what I needed to be doing. I prayed often, seeking God's will for my life, seeking His will for me in regards to this blog. I want to be a good steward of my time. Now, with January quickly coming to a close, I am ready to start moving forward.
Although I officially started blogging at the beginning of 2015, I have been "blogging" for years. By blogging, I mean writing. I have been a writer for as long as I can remember, but the foray into the blogging world has taught me many things.
Number one...I am a perfectionist. This should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. This does not mean that I think I am perfect. In fact, as I have gotten older, I find that the more I want things to be a certain way, I see more and more how far I am away from that ideal. Nevertheless, it presents itself in that though I write almost every day (in my head or on paper), ninety percent of what I write never even makes it to the computer screen. I find limited time for my "raw and unedited" ideas to be edited, revised, composed online, and completed with accompanying photos. My "posts" usually remain more like journal entries, never being "perfected" in quantity or quality.
This brings me to another learned fact. Since much of what I write begins like a journal entry, there are many personal tidbits and revelations that sometimes I become afraid to share. Many times I am afraid of what people will think if they read them. Fear of disapproval and revealing too much has been a major point of struggle.
Finally, I must confess that I thought this blog would be a great way for Grace and I to connect. Grace and I are very close, but sometimes Grace is not as excited about writing as I am. Grace writes for her school work, and she writes in her journal, but it has been unfair for me to expect her to want to write as much when writing is not her main thing. Grace is creative and loves to make things. She never tells me she is bored because she is always working on a project. For Christmas, she made individual presents for her cousins, grandparents, aunts, and for Monroe, Clark, and myself. Between her school, swim, piano, and arts and crafts projects, she has little time or motivation for writing. I wanted the blog to be a way we could connect, but it turns out that we are connecting just fine. We are both learning and growing with each other, and I am very proud of the young woman she is becoming. However, it is both unfair and untrue to continue to promote our site as a mommy~daughter site. We are still "Flippin 4 This", but Grace will not be a "regular" contributor.
I have prayed and sought after God's will concerning this blog. The bottom line is that I still love to write, and this is the way that I believe God has shown me that I can share about Him and how He's been working in my life. It is very humbling to be honest and open, knowing that many people may be reading what I write. You may like it, disagree with it, or maybe can even relate to it. Whichever way, I am committed to trying to keep writing...good or bad.
Simplify. It's my word for 2016. Most of my focus for this year involve simplifying different parts of my life. Closets are cleaned out, and cabinets are reorganized. You will find a cleaner, more sleek design on the webpage too. Flippin 4 This is a blog site, and though there were some great additions I tried to include, I simply cannot keep up with them. My site is simple, easy to navigate. By simplifying the site, I expect to have more time doing what I love...writing.
I am excited to move forward into 2016, and I hope that you will continue with me on this journey. I appreciate all the feedback you have shared with me and others. I encourage you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter because I share different things on each site. I love to share my photos, and I post links to several informative articles on Twitter. I also love sharing Scripture and quality, inspiring quotes. I look forward to what God has in store for this year. Thank you for your support.