The list is growing...

Little by little, the '40 Things' mini bucket list is coming together. With this installment, I am halfway done creating the list... and it's harder than it seems!

I think most of us have one or two things we'd like to try at any given time, but when you attempt to expand that to ten or twenty (or forty!) items, it's a little difficult. Sometimes you get stuck on one theme and can't see anything else on the horizon and other times the ideas just flow. Well, here's to you and me getting those things on a list and then doing them!

The '40 Things' List

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.
16. Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before.
17. Give blood regularly.
18. Attend a Victorian Tea.
19. Ride my bike in the city.
20. Stop and smell the flowers at a garden I haven't been to before.

And the next 5 things...

The '40 Things' list is growing! Here are the next five things...

The '40 Things' List

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.

It looks like I've got my work cut out for me already, and this isn't even half the list. Oh my!

2013: The Year of Joy!

Happy New Year!

I came across the following on Facebook last week...

Been pondering and praying about my ONE WORD for 2013.

Last year, my word was EXPECTANCY... I kept a journal of Scripture, quotes and graphics that the Lord showed me throughout the year.

Are you choosing ONE WORD or ONE VERSE this year? Want to share?

This post piqued my curiosity as I've prayed/thought about a word or verse before, but once chosen it's always been left at that. I was delighted with the idea of seeking out whatever word/verse I got throughout the year - in words, in graphics, in whatever! I'm in, and my word for 2013 is JOY!

I was challenged via email by a friend on my birthday to read the book of Philippians in the Bible in one sitting and be ministered to by it. Over a month has gone by, but it was the first thing I did this morning - reading the 'book of joy' to begin this new year of joy off right. Several things jumped out at me as I read this short book:

1. Paul was imprisoned when he wrote his letter.
2. He wasn't focused on himself, but on others.
3. Paul challenges us to 'do everything without complaining or arguing'.
4. His goal: 'Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.'
5. Paul's charge to us: 'Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice!'

These items made me realize that although our lives (or certain times in them) may be difficult, none of those difficulties need to define us. We can choose joy! I take that as a personal challenge this year. What about you?