Closing In on 2013

For years, my mother bought
me this diary and
it is still a personal favorite.

I am looking forward to 2013, as I’ve expressed more than once before.  The past year has been a challenging one and I always assume that whatever the previous year’s experiences may have been the upcoming year will be a change.  Not necessarily a change for the better.  Different will suffice.

One of the things I’ve committed to doing in 2013 is to read the books I’ve accumulated (I mention some of the creativity books in this post here) over the years.  Too many books cluttering my never enough bookshelves.   The plan is to not borrow any books from the public library that are not either artistic/inspirational/crafty or children’s books.  I want to still borrow books because the public library relies on funding that is based on how many books are borrowed.  In an effort to continue supporting my teeny tiny local library, I figure I can have the “best” of both worlds—read the books I have on hand yet borrow books from the library.

I’ve created this pinterest board with a nearly complete list of the books I currently have on hand.  Nearly complete because there are boxes blocking access to some of the books and there are many more books that remain unpacked.  But these are most of the books.

I’ve also shared how, in 2013, I’ll be reading through the Bible (again) with someone I care about a great deal. 

The past year has been difficult, especially as I try to find ways to connect with those I care about most deeply.  Reading the Bible is one small gesture.  We will mutually benefit from the experience and, for me, the most important part of this will be the opportunity to enhance a relationship that matters a great deal  to me.

To that end, I invited my daughter to join me in something as well.  We’ve agreed to work on our handwriting, to improve our penmanship.  I borrowed several resources from the public library and found this one book:  Write Now by Inga Dubay.  Unfortunately, it is out of print so we will have to borrow it multiple times, returning it and practicing and then borrowing it again.  There seems to be a real gap in such resources with basic handwriting resources designed for children and then calligraphy but nothing really in between meant to just help an adult write more legibly.  This book seems to fit the bill quite nicely and my daughter concurs.

We’ve agreed to do the following:

• Write one page a day
• Scan one page from the previous week’s practice and email it to one another
• Once a month, send one another a quote or something similar to write

That last one will be put into play later in the year.  At first, we will be doing enough just practicing our form, writing rows of letters and such.  It is a simple thing and often it is the simple things that make connecting all more precious.

If you care to join me, if you wish to practice your own penmanship with the hope of improving, please leave a comment.  

Source: repinly.machsrichtig.com via Satia on Pinterest

Which brings me to the next project for 2013.  This year for Christmas I gave each of my children an empty jar.  (I also gave one to our neighbors, sent some slips of paper to Love, and shared this with just everyone and anyone on facebook, google+, and pinterest.)  The idea behind this is to take an empty jar and, beginning with the new year, every time something good happens you write it out on a small slip of paper.  Then, on New Year’s Eve, you open the jar and read all of these slips of paper you have collected during the previous year. 

Needless to say, I love this idea or I wouldn’t have shared it so promiscuously. (And yes, it is not a coincidence that I'm making sure to share it here too because I really want everyone possible to at least think about this idea, and maybe, just maybe, find it as enchanting as I.) After all, 2012 may have had its disappointments, like my mother flying to be with my uncle before he died during my one and only visit, and my step-sister's mother dying, as well as a widowed aunt-by marriage.  But it also had some wonderful moments as well.  In April, my son officially adopted his step-daughter and in October the adoption was finalized. 

I became a grandmother.

My son also visited us for the holidays and, because Rob did not go home to see his family, I had most of my immediate family here for Christmas.  In fact, at one point when I was lying down, I could hear the laughter of my children, the voices of their bantering with Rob, and I thought to myself, “I could die right now and do so perfectly content.” 

Contentment, even for a moment, is a wondrous thing.

So there were these good moments and maybe some pouting disappointments and even some palpable grief but the year is coming to a close and I am not licking my wounds.  Rather, I am looking forward to the new year and, as I’ve already shared, making plans. 

Now where were we?  I said I would be:

• Reading the unread books in my personal library
• Reading through the Bible in three months
• Utilizing the accumulated scrapbooking materials
• Practicing my penmanship with my daughter
• Collecting the best moments of 2013 in a jar

As if that were not enough, I’ve agreed to do a few other things.

My son Marc took his GRE in 2012 and has a projected score of 311/340.  I don’t know how the projected score relates to the actual final score but I think it’s safe to say that he’s pretty much locked down any chance of his going to graduate school.  In the meantime, he’s in Chicago and will be filling his 2013 jar.  But he’s also agreed to watch some Netflix instant streaming movies with me.  Oh boy!  We’ve agreed to watch 2 movies a month and touch base with one another, share our thoughts and feelings about what we watched.  Not unlike a book club only using movies/Netflix.

Consider this an open invitation.  If you have Netflix and would like to join us, I would love to do so.  Yes, my son and I will be watching 2 movies a month but, given an average of 4 weeks per month, that leaves 2 weeks open and we could do this as an online thing.  Leave a comment if you’re interested.

Rob and I are also finding ways to build our relationship.  We’ll be exercising.  Together, no less!  We’ll also be watching movies/dvds together, learning a foreign language together, and we’ve planned monthly game dates with local friends and family members.  Second Tuesday of every month with a request to have RSVPs by the preceding Sunday so we can plan a potluck.  (That way, even when we don’t have enough money to have everyone here, we can make sure everyone has something to eat.)

There is something more, something else, which I choose to withhold for now.  I’m clearly inspired by 2013.  Are you inspired as well?  What are you plans, your intentions, your hopes, wishes, expectations, goals for the new year?