Memorable Monday--Happy New Year!!!!

Welcome to 2012!!!  Have you been looking forward to turning the calendar page over to a new year?  I know I am definitely excited to start the new year.  For me, the coming year is going to be filled with some pretty exciting things: my OneWord focus for the year, my brother's getting married, I'm starting my doctorate, both kids in school full-time in September, two family vacations.  I also know that while there's a lot to look forward to, there's going to be a lot of work ahead of me to get to these events the way I want.  I'm really hoping to make this blog an integral part of my journey this year, and I hope you'll follow along!

So, as promised, I wanted to start the year off with a super helping of Memorable Monday goodness.  Here are a few passages to help us start the year off right!

Anne Lamott says,

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.  It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a crappy first draft.  I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die.  The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.

The chorus of the song "Walk on the Water," by Britt Nicole:

So what are you waiting for?  What do you have to lose?
Your insecurities, trying to hold to you...
You know you're made for more, so don't be afraid to move!
Your faith is all it takes, so you can walk on the water too...

Former Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels:

Until you feel strong enough to deal with the pain in your life, you're not going to be able to feel the joy either.

Finally, a few quotations to help with the words we picked for 2012.  First, on "peace" from Job 22:

Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.  Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.  If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: if you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust; your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.  Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.

And for my good friend, a verse on "believe" from John 14:

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.  Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Here is to a wonderful year ahead!!!