2010 – Post #1
First, to all a Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is already 2010. I think I will constantly be amazed for the rest of my life each time an entire year passes. For some odd reason, I have this vivid memory of being in fourth grade in Eagle Rock, CA, and hearing from someone (I really don’t remember if it was a teacher or someone else), “You’re only in fourth grade. Time is slow. Just wait until you grow up…” Man, they were right. Time is just flying by, and soon enough, I’ll be 80 and (Lord willing) racing scooter chairs with my husband in some nursing home somewhere. That, or skydiving at 80. We’ll see how far medical technology progresses in the meantime.
Since it’s technically still New Years Day, I wanted to write this post mainly for myself as an artifact in time to look back on and remember. I haven’t made any new resolutions since 2006 when I found the four that pretty much sum up what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have an entry in some torn pages from an old journal (I’m terrible at journaling – I have numerous journals, all with pages torn out and lumped together since I keep starting/stopping them) that read:
1/1/2006
Burbank, CAThe first two pages of this journal were torn out for good measure. Well, not really, but in a way, it was very symbolic of giving up the old to make room for the new. Today is New Year’s Day, 2006, and I have an hour left on the clock before tomorrow arrives. I want to write down some of my goals/resolutions for this year before the day changes. I have never done this before, so this is going to be interesting. *smiley face*
- Read my Bible everyday and start each day asking for God’s blessing and guidance. May He get the glory. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians 10:31)
- Fall into permanent love with God more and trust His perfect judgment and plans. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
- Guard my heart against anyone or anything that will pull me away from God and His will. (Proverbs 4:23)
- Have the courage and resolve to fulfill said resolutions. (1 Timothy 1:7; Romans 5:1-5)
I can honestly say that I have failed at all four of the above in various ways over the past – wow – four years since I wrote those down, and that is one of the reasons those resolutions never change. They truly encompass everything I aim to do. Thank God for mercy and grace and fresh beginnings!
Well, since this is supposed to be an artifact of sorts, here are some lessons I learned from 2009:
- God is powerful and in control; I am not. Daily, I was given opportunities to learn to submit to His blessed will and let things be. While that may sound rather un-Christian and more fatalistic than anything, it is still a fact that is true for Christians. I have the tendency to wrestle things and people if I see them doing things that harm themselves and/or others. However, I have learned and am still learning that it is not my “duty” nor my place in certain situations to do that…and more often than not, the situations are few in which I should wrestle. We will each have to answer for our actions someday, and I really need to leave everything/everyone up to God and focus on what I should be doing to follow Him more. (Note: I hope you understand that I am not advocating being apathetic and not caring about what goes on around you. There are definitely things that we should act on and be involved in without question…in my opinion, at least.)
- I am married to an amazing man. Ever since Mike and I got married, I have watched marriages start and crumble. Honestly, that has been hard to watch, and I have shed many tears over the heartbreak of others. (weird, huh?) There are very few (but not none) marriages that I see around me that I can say, “Hey, I want to be like them!” It makes me that much more grateful to be married to my best friend, my lover, my inspiration, my fiercest competitor (I still have the higher XBOX Live gamer score, however), my truest confidant, my most compassionate yet honest critic, my comforter (both emotionally and as a blanket on occasion – hey, he has warmer feet than me!), etc. Michael Thomas is my true soul mate, and should he not live to race with me in our scooter chairs when we’re 80, I will be very sad indeed. Mike, I love you.
- Learning is life-long. My curiosity gets stronger with each passing year, and it is becoming harder and harder to find the time to satiate it. Hmmm, maybe that says something about my time management skills. Anyways, 2009 was full of opportunities for formal learning and informal learning, and I pray to God I remember everything because it was all amazing.
- Teaching is hard. I have been teaching at the college level (by the grace of God and The Master’s College) since Fall 2008, and I am constantly finding ways to improve my classes. Some of my students have loved having me as a professor, others hated me, and others didn’t care either way. One thing my students may never know (well, unless they read my blog I suppose) is that I have been impacted by each and every one of them as a person. I actually prayed for every one of my students, and Mike can testify that I would have done everything in my power to help them if they had needed it. But, I have also learned that not everyone is as curious about the world or willing to listen to new views or want to work hard to improve themselves. Not everyone is as passionate about good communication, culture, nor other topics I find absolutely fascinating and essential to life. :) I learned that some people (yes, students are people, too, regardless of what some may think – lol) are extremely proud under my teaching, and I despised them – probably because I saw a lot of myself in their actions and attitudes at that age. Bad, Corinne – bad! I pray everyday that I will be a good teacher to those God sends my way not only because teachers will be judged harsher than most (James 3:1, anyone?) but because each soul that passes through my class is an opportunity for growth for themselves and for myself. Yeah, teaching is hard, but I love every minute of it.
Now that 2010 is here, I’m really excited to see what is in store. According to my fortune from the Japanese temple this morning, my examination scores will be good because “effort pays off” (haha), but other than that (jk, jk), 2010 will be an exciting year I’m sure. New places to visit, new experiences to…experience, and new people to come in contact with. I am terribly excited.
Here’s to a blessed, prosperous 2010 to us all!
Cheers,
Corinne
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