Don’t Count the Days. Make the Days Count

Who doesn’t love fresh beginnings? It’s that time of year where we recap the good, the bad, and make all the resolutions.  While I have quite a few goals set for myself this year, they aren’t the usual ones that I set every year.

If you’ve followed me long enough, you know that I have had a tough few years dealing with the loss of both of my parents. I’m done with that chapter of self-pity, anger, regret, etc.  The great thing about life is that we have choices we can make and I have worked hard on my heart, my emotions, and choosing to be better, better for myself and for those around me.

So many quotes have spoken to me lately but this one, “Don’t Count the Days. Make the Days Count.” stood out to me most.   One of the things I have done a lot of is asking God to give me clarity in regards to purpose.  I finally realized that God doesn’t want me to ask for clarity. He wants me to trust in Him that He will show me all the things I need to know and do in this life.  So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been trusting in God.

With that said, I have decided that my word for 2020 is SERVE.  The definition of serve is “perform duties or services for (another person or an organization)”.   We don’t know how many days we have left in this world so I feel like it’s so important to make each day count.  Some of you will think that requires A LOT and immediately give up with an eye roll but I want to share, with you, my goals of ways I plan to serve. Here are 3 general ways you can serve others!

• Send cards and letters.  One of my favorite things, when I was little, was getting a letter from my mamaw.  I still have all the letters she wrote me.  I also loved getting cards.  My MIL always sent a card for birthdays and my friend (& mail carrier) hands out cards for holidays and it just makes a person feel special.
• Offer encouragement.  In good times and in bad, offering encouragement to someone can make a world of difference.  Don’t let not knowing what to say keep you from saying something.
• Get involved.  With the busyness of the world, giving our time is one of the hardest things to do for people.  If you struggle to be around a lot of people, try finding a way to participate and still be within your comfort zone.  But remember, you can’t grow if you stay in that comfort zone.  This is a hard one for me but I plan to tackle it head-on!

My goal for 2020 is to do all of the above.  I plan to send cards, write letters, and offer encouragement where I can.  I have committed to volunteer my time to my Emmaus community.  The Walk to Emmaus made such an impact on me that I just couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do something that matters in a big way but still keeps me behind the scene so to speak.

Something else I’ve wanted to do is gather donations of sports equipment and shoes for those that struggle to afford it.  Participating in sports can be expensive and we, sometimes, struggled with paying for new shoes and bat and glove and so on.  I have thought about this for a long time and hope that I can start it this year!

My 2020 goal is to just be as happy as I can be and hopefully make others feel some joy along the way.  As you begin a new year, don’t count the days until this or that, instead, make each day count.

What are some things you hope to achieve in 2020?

From us to you, Happy New Year.  May it be filled with purpose.