Tim wrote this yesterday and put it out on The Blackthorn Project site to celebrate the New Year, and I had to share it here.  Even though he’s not a mom, he’s married to one and these steps are just good to have in our heads and hearts in the New Year.

Being a mom of 2 small children myself, I know that stepping out in something new right now can feel laughable. But, it’s good for us, isn’t it? And isn’t it good for our kids to see us working at something for ourselves? Doesn’t it model something valuable for them?

Click on the picture or follow this link to read it.

I’ve heard from a couple of my girlfriends about learning to play the piano, from another learning mandolin, for another it’s learning to sew, for another it’s starting her own blog. For me, the new thing this year is to continue conquering my fear of crafts–making hats and whatever else I think is cute. What’s yours?

I heard my husband say this to someone not too long ago and it stuck with me.  I thought that while we’re all thinking about New Years resolutions, I’d throw it out at you:

We spend all our time praying for direction, when what we really need is courage.

I heard this and I realized that the courage I need is the courage to be right now the person I was created to be.  The courage to agree with “the gift” the Father says I am, to live out my dreams and to give myself the freedom to change, to embrace each season of my life for what it is and enjoy it to its fullest. Not a bad challenge, eh?

If you were going to act on the dreams you already have in courage, what would you do? How would it change things?