Happy New Year! I am back to work after a refreshing holiday break. Our family dressed up and enjoyed a nice dinner out on New Years Eve (we spent LOTS of time at home during Christmas). I led the family in our annual yearly reflection. This is always heartwarming and interesting. Heartwarming to reminisce over the highlights of the year through the voices of the kids. Interesting to hear their perspectives on how we lead our lives and what moments had a lasting impact on them. Reflecting together is bonding, encouraging and important.
Life is built on the dailies. The highlights of our year included big events like our ski trip. BUT, our family is not built on big trips and sensational events. John Eldredge writes in his book Get Your Life Back, " Love, friendship, and marriage are not built on skydiving together, trips to Paris, kayaking the Amazon. They're not. Perhaps once in your life you might do something like that, but the fantastic is not your daily. Love, friendship, and marriage are nurtured in the context of simple things like coffee together, hanging out, getting a burrito, holding hands, taking a walk, doing the dishes, reading to one another, or just reading different things while you are in the same room. It's the little things that build a beautiful life"
We all want a beautiful life! We all want Eden. I tend to focus too much attention on the sensational things we can do as a family. I love this reminder that life is build on the dailies. Reflection always helps to reset expectation, reset perspective and reset desire.
