1/01/07: Happy New Year!

Yes, today is a new year -- a new beginning!

Last night, Luke, Sheri, and their four (youngest adopted from Taiwan just two months ago) came over and we enjoyed nearly two-and-a-half hours of their company before their smallest two began needing their own beds. We toasted the New Year with champagne around New Years, EST (9:00 PM Pacific) and chatted, played, and ate delicious snacks until they had to go.

After they left, the kids and I broke out our new board game, LIFE, Pirates of the Caribbean edition, and played until 11:50. So we waited out the last ten minutes of 2006 and welcomed in 2007 with Dick Clark and ringing the brass ship's bell on our front porch. We sent the kids to bed with special prayers and blessings, and headed to bed now too long after.

I slept in today until nearly 1:00 PM, and was soon grafted into a new round of LIFE Pirates. We played until now, 5:00 PM, sometimes with all the boys, and a couple games with just E and myself.

In the Anglican Church calendar, this is also the Eighth Day of Christmas, which is known as the Circumcision of Christ. Here is the Collect for the Day (1928 Book of Common Prayer):

Almighty God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today is also a day to contemplate, to ponder, to plan dreams and goals for 2007. My aims are this:

1. To improve my physical being by getting to bed earlier (11:00 at the latest) and by keeping sweets to one small serving per day (mostly dark chocolate). When I am able, I would like to add some mild exercise into my routine.

2. To improve my spiritual being by committing to Morning and Evening Prayer daily, and to the reading of the Holy Scriptures at one or both prayer times.

3. To improve both my spiritual and emotional being by taking a weekday off from homeschooling and having Keith take over, twice per month. During this time I want to pray, journal, write, read, and study.

4. To improve my emotional being, I wish to journal daily as often as possible and to write in this blog at least four times per week. When I can express myself in words, I find myself much more content.

So, I wish you all a blessed New Year! May God work mightily in your lives this year and every year!