Patience + Persistence

From Pinterest

I have a friend who picks two words as sort of a goal or mantra for each new year. And I've always liked this idea. Despite my many explanations that copying is a very high form of flattery, Rosemary hates being copied; let's hope this friend of mine sees it as flattery.

First, let me say that because I am not the most persistent person in the world, I didn't really set out to pick these words - it feels more like they picked me. Patience is a word I repeat over and over as I'm trying to get the Little One out the door to school each morning. And patience is something I lose many times throughout each day. Somehow I just Know that patience is something I'm going to need a lot of this year; and somehow I Know that it's going to show up in definitions I never could have imagined.

Persistence, well, I doubt that needs much explanation. All you have to do is look at the infrequency of blog postings, the dusty sewing machine, the paperwork that isn't filled out, the lists that go on. I don't feel bad about these things - we all go through seasons of productivity and rest. We've been in a big period of adjustment, and what I've been up to, I guess I just haven't felt like writing about.

I look back on 2011 as a good year. I don't even remember if it was 2008 or 2009, but whichever year it was, I slammed the door on it. I mean that I literally opened a door and slammed it, and said goodbye and good riddance. I am not a person who likes to put a sugar coating on things, and I do not like to say things are good when they are not. You can trust that I'll be honest and real with you, and these last couple years, well, really, they just keep getting better.

So while I do not have big regrets for 2011, I do have big hopes for 2012. I do want the future to be different than the past, and I'd like to say I have a little more follow-through this year, a little more drive - a little more patience and a good dose of persistence.