Mary Ann Hayes

As always, I have set quite a few goals for the new year.  It happens every new year, of course. Yet the older I get, the more serious these resolutions have become and the more determined I am to stick with them. I really do plan to lose weight and get in shape and I really will set regular hours just for writing each day.

But most importantly, I plan to spend more time developing my spiritual life. I plan to spend more time with God; to talk to Him more, to read His word more, to look to Him for guidance and comfort and to give Him my fears and frustrations. Through this, I hope to leave the stress behind and develop stronger ties with my family and friends.

Looking back on 2010, I believe there was a lot of wasted energy used up on the negatives in life. They should never have been allowed to drag me down. That’s what God is for; to unload on and trust that if we are diligent about doing our part, He will surely do His. This life is far too tough to handle on our own.

It’s hard for us mere mortals to trust in something we cannot touch or see. It’s hard to truly let things go and not insist that we are the only ones that can handle our situations, the only ones to make things work out the way we want them to. I have found that if I give God the opportunity, He will carry me through the worst of times. Considering how difficult life can become, we can all use the help.  And sometimes the way I think things should turn out isn’t in my best interest anyway.  It’s just something I don’t realize at the time.

So, for the year of 2011 I resolve to eat less, pray from the bottom of my heart, and love my family and friends more than I ever thought possible, despite anything and everything. This is a big resolution, but I’m up for a big challenge this year. I want to move ahead in a personal way, to challenge myself to be more and to be better. After all, there are only so many years in a lifetime and I’ve already used up quite a few. I plan to make the rest of them not only count, but use them to make a difference.

Later,

Mary Ann