So as you all know, I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions.  This is where I recognize that a year doesn’t go by that I don’t learn a whole bunch of helpful new things.  Some I will use again, some that helps me sleep at night and some that change me, hopefully for the better:

1. Heavenly father has a plan for me. Everything happens for a reason.  Sounds cliche’.  It is not. I’ve been given some whopper of tests, failed a few, passed by the skin of my teeth a few more of them – and have A+ a couple.  Hindsight gives you the grades on each of these tests (as well as who else might be taking them with you) and this year in particular, I saw the gargantuan A+ wrapped up in a cloud shaped like a heart and I know, like I know, like I know – I am loved and watched out for…..as is every human on this planet.

2. I am not just in college for the education, I am in school to prove to myself I am a straight A student…which I am not anymore. I have failed…not really… but it kind of feels that way.  Even though I learned more in my Plato class than every other class I’ve ever taken and I loved going to class to hear the discussion and lecture, I hated my professor for being such a butthead of a grader, and I want to take a class from him again BUT I don’t want to end up with another B+.  Long story long….I’ve learned I can’t be perfect in my GPA, even though I really want to be.  Stay tuned, I am trying to become enlightened.

3. Jesus Christ didn’t write anything down because he spent his short time on this earth teaching, loving, healing, teaching and saving people without spending idle time writing it all down.  Someone else did that for him, actually four guys did.  Writing is mostly overrated and DOing is underrated. (I say as I write)

4. Certain types of media and entertainment are slowly eroding away our ideals (as an individual and society) on a psychological, as well as metaphysical or spiritual level. The larger the involvement of the senses, the deeper the erosion. Subconsciously, evil invades your soul. The philosophers knew it 2500 years ago, have been talking about it over the ages and with the saturation of interactive violent video games within our culture – we are pretty much screwed as a society trying to maintain any sort of value system.  I explained all of this (in much greater detail) to my 11 year old son and he agreed with me.  Maybe there is hope?

5. When people show me who they are the first time, I will believe them.

6. And then forgive them for my sake, not theirs.

7. I will never believe anyone receives revelation for me, better than me – no matter who they are.  And then I will forgive them.

8. There’s a BIG difference in believing I’ve done some bad things, than believing I am a bad person for having done those things, ESP when I don’t do them anymore.  Mistakes will not define me, my children, my friends or my B.

9. Patience and then some more patience, oh and then some more patience…crap I think this one is eternal.

10. Whatever follows “I am……” will hunt me down (okay so I stole this one from Joel Osteen) but it is profound.  No more “I am tired-stressed-ugly-old….  I’m moving onto “I am refreshed, passionate, excited about my life, young in body and mind and so on.”  And don’t put yourself down when you are around me, because I will stop you in your tracks.

Happy Happy refreshed 2014!