Looking Forward to 2013

Needless to say, I took an extended hiatus from blogging during the holidays. Much of it was because of stress or lack of time, but I also needed sometime away from blogging to gather my thoughts of 2012 and consider goals for the upcoming year.

In the past three months I have had many challenges as a catechist. I have struggled to keep the students’ attention and had difficulty finding balance in my life between getting exercise, working full-time and planning lessons. I realize that an hour and a half may not seem long to many people, but for holding a 9-year-old’s attention I’ve found it to be hard. In taking a look back in what other things were going on at my job, I realize I did try to plan out the lessons as best I could and I need to focus on the fact that Adam and I have taken the time to volunteer and try to inspire and lead these children to grow in their faith and their relationship with God.

I know that you can only perform at your best ability for a certain length of time, so I have enjoyed the past month to recoup and enjoy my time with family and friends. I also think it was beneficial for the students. On Saturday we had our first class back from Christmas break and we discussed keeping the Lord’s Day holy (the third commandment). The students seemed very engaged and attentive, like they were really interested in being there and wanted to be involved. We played a holiday Pictionary game and also had some students do some acting which they really enjoy! It was refreshing to see them so enthusiastic about learning again!

I also realized that I needed to make some changes as far as my time management. This has always been a “work in progress” thing for me, as I’m sure it will continue to be. To help manage my time, which always seems so limited, I have decided to start doing morning workouts. Those who know me best know I am definitely NOT a morning person, so this has been quite the adjustment for the girl who loves the weekends where she can sleep in! However, this past week, Adam and I got up before work to get in our exercise (he works out on the elliptical machine while I do a workout video) and were able to do so 4 out of the 5 week days, and I also squeezed in a workout on Saturday morning before our class! The first few days were rough, but even with the lack of sleep I feel it was worth it because I had energy throughout the day! I think winter is probably the hardest time of year because it’s so dark outside but I’m looking forward to the spring when I can go running in the mornings and enjoy the sunrise! This has really helped me manage my time better and feel more productive! It’s nice to say that as of 7 a.m. you have already completed your workout for the day!

Another resolution I have is to have more appreciation for all the blessings God has given us. I found an idea through Pinterest in starting a “gratitude jar”. The idea is that as positive things happen in your life throughout the year, you write them down on pieces of paper and put them in the jar. On New Year’s Eve, you open the jar and read all the wonderful blessings you had over the past year. We got our jar from Target and it already has a few pieces of paper in it – 2013 is off to a great start!

I am really looking forward to what 2013 brings. We are expecting our first nephew or niece in April and are excited to celebrate my brother’s wedding in August. Adam and I really do feel blessed to have the family, friends, jobs and opportunities we do. I continue to pray for everyone to be happy, healthy and find peace.