Lessons learned in 2012....

A few things I have learned this year in 2012:

• less really is more.
• life really isn't about me. and it never was.
• humble people are rare. 
• but, when you find them, you know it and your life is changed.
• people want notoriety and they want to be noticed.
• rare is the person that chooses to stand in the background and push others forward to shine bright.
• i have a few of these people in my life and they are true jewels.
• friendship is about quality, not quantity. this has been a long, hard lesson for me. 
• i am not the girl that i used to be. and that's okay.
• i am much more comfortable in my own skin than i was even a year ago.
• it's okay if others are not comfortable with who i am. (this is huge for me)
• i cannot make everyone happy. this one is worth repeating.
• my job is is to live out God's plan for me, not what other people expect from me. 
• your true friends will love you even on your off days. they will even love you more.
• my family knows me best. and i love that.
• it is rare to find someone that gives without wanting recognition. but they are out there. i have recently met a few. 
• i am not as hard on myself as i used to be. 
• i want to make others feel better after spending time with me, not worse.
• i am learning to be interested in others, instead of trying to be interesting to others. 
• i prefer myself blonde. although, i like experimenting with color. i always go back to blonde.
• it's fun to take extra time to look a little better when going out in public. i used to think it made me seem selfish. 
• of course, i am also learning to be fine when i don't look the greatest. 
• it's okay if my house is not immaculate. we do live here. 
• i am learning to cherish the little moments. and not be distracted by my phone, the computer, etc. 
• my children are always watching me....always. what am i doing that they will pick up on?
• if i don't teach my kids about God, who will?
• the things that seem hard to me now, i will miss one day. i know this.
• i need God every single day.
• i am okay with Him being a crutch for me. i cannot face day to day decisions without Him.
• i believe He made me like I am, so i would depend on Him more. seriously.
• lem likes when i help him. he is a side by side partner. it makes him happy when we are working together.
• i like encouragement from him. i recently told him that was really all i needed from him. just tell me i am doing a good job. :)
• i trust Lem more than ever. i respect his decisions.
• i have learned to not go against him because i will always regret it.
• many people do not understand this. they think it's weak. little do they know it takes more strength to do this than to go against our men. 
• lem and i are very different, and it is a good thing.
• God honors obedience to our husbands. every single time.
• if i could tell wives one thing, it would be to respect and honor your hubby. period.
• i get tired sometimes and want to hide away with my family for awhile.
• then, i am ready to emerge and be social again.
• i think it's normal to be this way. at least normal for me right now.
• lem is much more social than i am, and i am learning to appreciate that about him.
• i love people, but love being with just my 3 the most.
• i have a thing about traditions. but i am learning to be okay if they don't always pan out.
• my children are growing and changing. i am starting to embrace this instead of holding onto the past.
• i am okay with my kids not being happy with decisions that lem and i have to make that are best for them.
• it used to kill me when they were unhappy. now i know if it's best for them, then it's best for them. 
• happiness does not always equal what's best for them.
• i am learning to be wiser with my time. it's something that i can never get back.
• i am learning that some things can wait, and some things just cannot.
• i am learning that it is okay to not be able to go to every function. this year has been a year of me missing out on a lot of things with my friends.
• this used to be hard for me. but, now i see that it is the Lord wanting me to be okay whatever and wherever He has called me to be.
• my mission at home is the most important thing in my life.
• if He calls me outside of my home, then it is only because my home is stable and i am ready to be used  in another area.
• sometimes we get this backwards. we want to minister to the world, and all the while our hubbies, and children get neglected.
• i often ask lem: how am i doing? can i do anything to improve being a wife to you or a momma to our children? 
• if Lem is feeling happy and cared for, i feel good and i feel i am right where i need to be.
• i am starting to see that God calls us to the little things because they mean the most to Him. big things are good too, but we must get the little things down pat first.
• He trains us in ways that we don't even realize to make sure we are ready for what He has next for us.
• obedience to God is the key to life.
• nothing brings His blessings and His peace like obedience.

I think I will stop here. Presley is beckoning me to watch her dance upstairs. :)