It's New Year time again--time to reflect on 2011 and ponder the possibilities of 2012. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I do spend time getting still and examining the past year, and seeking insight about the year to come.2011 was a difficult year for many people--11 representing a time of 'transition'. Transition is necessary and usually beneficial, but it can also be chaotic.
My son and his wife just moved at Christmastime to their first home, a beautiful new 'nest', a wonderful change for them. But getting the paperwork done, arrangements made, the possessions boxed, transported, and unboxed, the new house and the old apartment cleaned appropriately took some major effort.
The number 12 (of 2012) can represent order, right government, authority, and a sigh of relief for those of us who prefer stability and peace instead of shaking and upheaval!
Let's cooperate with the natural shift in season. Push past the distractions, find a quiet afternoon, get still, and focus on some personal 'housecleaning' so that you are ready for 2012's adventures with gusto. I usually like to invite my most treasured friend, the Spirit of Truth, to guide me and give divine insight to this process.
1) Make a list of the negatives of 2011. What mistakes did you make? What did you learn from them? What can you do to avoid them in the future? Which projects or relationships in your life need a different perspective or approach? Is there anyone you need to forgive (possibly yourself)? Is there anything you need to release and not carry with you into the new year?
2) Make a list of the positives of 2011. What goals were you able to accomplish? What did you learn along the way? What worked well for you? In what areas did you experience breakthrough (emotional, educational, physical, business or work, financial, mental, spiritual)? Did you receive answers to prayer? What are you grateful for?
3) Change. What would you like to accomplish in 2012? List the areas of your life that you would like to change, and list some steps--even tiny advances you can take under each one--to make them happen. What areas of your character need overhaul, tweaking, strengthening, or polishing?
4) Life-end goals. Write your obituary. What accomplishments and character traits do you want to be remembered by your loved ones, peers, acquaintances--and by the world? You are a unique individual, gifted with plenty of strengths, experiences, and precious treasures. No one else in the world is like you. What does the world need from you? What is something ONLY you can do (or BE) to make an impact on lives around you?
5) Listen to your dreams. Ask the Giver of dreams to release more nighttime love messages to you about your purpose and destiny. And, ask for the dream interpretations as well. Write them down and pay attention. If you kept a dream journal, go back to analyze 2011's dreams. You may begin to realize that you are being called to pull off feats way beyond your own abilities. Exploits that will require supernatural involvement to make them happen. Dream Big!
What is one simple step you can do TODAY to launch with power into 2012?
Post it here, if you like, and GO DO IT!
Yesterday at the doctor's office, the assistant queried me about the level of pain I felt during a procedure I was undergoing. When I expressed discomfort, she brought me this tiny tube of 'relief gel' that is designed to 'desensitize' me to pain. I mock-expressed dismay at the tiny tube and requested a vat-full of the miracle relief instead.
Have you ever found yourself obviously divinely planted in just the right place at just the right time? A moment reveals an assignment that requires timely precision and action to step in and perhaps prevent a looming disaster?
Lately I've been catching myself increasingly doing a lot of 'double takes' as I 'see' or sense something out of the corner of my eye that I didn't realize was actually there. A startling flash of dark or white light, a figure, a creature, a door, or even descriptive words hanging in thin air. When I look back, my eyes don't see anything, but flickered image remains, as well as a real sense of its continued presence.
If you are a student of dream interpretation, you know how crucial it is to think metaphorically in order to 
Deep in the heart of Texas, we are experiencing summer heat and drought like no other summer that I can remember--relentless heat wave with no rain for many months. Every morning our newspaper headlines highlight drought complications. Today marks our 40th day in a row over 100 degrees--some days my thermometer reads 110.
My husband and I were 'planted' in Abilene, Texas--for the second time--seventeen years ago. Just out of college, we escaped this fine little West Texas city the first time to move to Denver, where we fully fell in love with mountains and cool weather for ten glorious years. Following a dream, we then sold everything we owned in hopes of moving to a foreign mission field--with a planned year-long stop backin Abilene for training and fundraising.
Just call me 'Desert Rose'--because I am hoping and learning to thrive by blooming and producing divine fragrance in all sorts of dry places.
In 
* During a sad time in our family, I dreamed we all rolled around in the floor playing with a little black and white puppy, laughing through waves and waves of deep belly heaves. I awoke with tears of healing from the laughter. A heavy weight lifted. The next day, we found out that our father-in-law had just spontaneously bought us a little Boston terrier puppy....a happy harbinger of joy sent into our lives after a season of grief.
Humans naturally gravitate toward ruts--boring routines or habits that rule. Our repetitive actions can be positive or negative, productive, lazy, damaging, internal or external.
When is the last time you spent an afternoon with someone without interruption of any kind? How did that feel?
Every single day brings challenges that require personal stretching in our problem-solving skills. How many decisions do you suppose we have to make in any given 24-hour period? 'Experts' say anywhere between 500 and 35,000 per day, from trivial to mega-selections:
Do you have a message that you want the world to hear? Perhaps you are called to get the word out about a particular issue, whether it is a personal lesson learned, a job that requires advertising for your product or service, or something else you are quite passionate about. How do you get people to listen....and take action?
Spring has sprung in our neighborhood--trees are leafing out and my rosebushes started blooming yesterday. I saw a hummingbird searching for food a couple of weeks ago. Warm, sunny temperatures beg for open windows and outdoor projects. Fresh grass sprigs are slowly turning lawns from dry brown to more vibrant greenish hues.
"No offense, but you're a jerk, and our relationship is finished!" Have you ever knowingly or unknowingly messed up and then found yourself on the receiving end of similar words or sentiments? Or perhaps you've felt deeply hurt by someone's actions and you responded in such a manner. Thinking back, whether we were the 'offender' or the 'offendee', it is difficult to imagine how a situation got so explosive so quickly---how things could go so wrong so fast?
In the past two months I have begun to notice something new as I go about my daily activities. I'm not a 'psychic' but I 'see' stuff. It is normal for me to sense emotions or struggles from within a person near me, or to 'know' something about someone I'm getting ready to meet. The big question is, 'What do I do with what I see?"
A buzzword that keeps appearing on my radar these days is 'entitlement'--the notion or belief that one (or oneself) is deserving of some particular reward or benefit (Wikipedia). Often entitlement refers to monetary 'rights' or handouts owed to a person by government programs--"I'm not working, so someone else needs to pay my bills." Touchy subject, especially nowadays regarding health insurance...don't get me started on that one, though.
In this day and age with millions of distractions at our fingertips, we all experience an increasing need to focus on the most important details of life--or we watch our time slip away as we miss or fritter away precious opportunities. Living in regret, angers, fears, or lack of determination slows us on our Destiny Journey.
The boundaries between inside and outside became blurry, as sidewalks seemed to snake in and out of hotels, casinos, and shopping malls. At one point I was tired because we were walking a lot. As we stepped outside, I looked up and saw the most beautiful, cloud-filled sky, with sunset just starting. Upon closer scrutiny, though, I realized it was a cleverly painted ceiling in a huge mall. I started asking myself, 'What day is it? What time is it, really? Is this a dream?"