As I sit here on this New Year’s Eve…eve…eve….(I think) – in other words, December 29th, I can’t help but reflect on this last year.  As with each year, naturally this time leads us to think about the previous 12 months, and also tends to see us setting goals for the upcoming 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 525,600 minutes. 31,536,000 seconds. That is the time we all have in front of us, although none of it is guaranteed. We all look at the coming up year hoping for a fresh start, believing for better things, and thinking that at the end of 2017 we will reflect and see all that we have accomplished.

As I look back on 2016, I see a year that had some hard times, but I also see a year where I had to boldly and almost defiantly declare that I know there is a plan for my life. There were times when I can almost picture myself stomping my foot and saying “I don’t care what it looks like today – this is just a refining time that I will look back on and be thankful for.”  Y’all that is straight truth right there. I went into 2016 believing for great and wonderful things….and I’m ending 2016 thankful for this year, and believing the same for 2017. 2016 was a year of internal growth, even if there aren’t a lot of external things to show for it.

As I think about 2017, I know this will be a year of great change. This is the year I have been a mom half of my life. That’s right, I will officially reach the tipping point when the days before I became a mom are fewer than the days since I have been one. That’s a crazy thing to think about. It is also the year that sees my son graduate, and I send him off with hopes and dreams of his own. I was 19 when I had him, and very shortly before he turns 19, he will go off to college. Two 19 year old kids – a lifetime away from each other. So – while this is the year I reach that milestone, it is also the year where I begin to develop some things outside of that, too. It’s important for both of us that I transition into this next stage in life as seamlessly as I hope for him to transition. It doesn’t mean that I won’t have times of nostalgia, but it does mean that it’s time to let him soar, and not have him worry about what mom is doing back at the house. Y’all, I have been a mom my entire adult life – and I will always be a mom. But it’s time to figure out how to be Kim, just Kim, too.  Trust me, your kids want that for you. At least I know JD wants that for me. Let’s not even discuss the slap bet he made with his cousin….let’s just say that I’m looking forward to him losing.  haha!  =)

I could make a list of goals that I want to accomplish in 2017, and I’m not saying I won’t at some point, but more than anything, my goal for 2017 is to become even more firmly rooted in who I am – and in Whose I am. I have a pretty strong sense of self, and usually look at the world with a positive outlook, but that doesn’t mean I am free from times when negative thoughts enter my mind or worry seems to weigh.  For 2017, I will remind myself early and often:

Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Not as an excuse to overlook areas that need tending, or as a way to escape the reality of the situation, instead as a reminder to weigh my thoughts against what His word says for my life. My prayer will be that if my thoughts don’t line up, they will be taken captive and His word will be brought to my remembrance.  I believe that this truly has the power to change my life – and the life of others. If a single action can change our world, and our actions begin with a thought, may that thought be a positive one – full of promise, hope, and understanding of just how much we mean to the One who created us.

Here’s to great things in 2017. In thought. In action.

This is a beautiful life.