Learning to Love a Little Better

We have Christmased and Christmased and Christmased. These are just the Minnesota photos. The Iowa photos are still to come.

Happy New Year! A fresh start. Clean slate.

Today we resume our regularly scheduled caffeine, alcohol and food intake. In other words less.

Resolutions? Not sure if I can make cohesive resolutions on five hours sleep.

What if that number on the scale this morning is only evidence of a lovely twelve days with family and friends--beautifully and lovingly prepared food. Home-made ice-cream like Daddy made? Hot fudge made by a friend on my stove? Rosettes and spritz and specialty honey from the studio folks? Ham balls, quiche and lasagna around the table at my mom's in Iowa--instead of her being in the hospital with pneumonia? Spaghetti sauce cooked with sacrifice and love? A new year's toast with friends?

What if it's all okay?

Yes, to a return to self discipline, yes to being our very best self in 2017. But. . .

No, to thinking we've got to be a certain way. Things have to be a certain way.
I've spent the better part of my life in a growth mindset. Practice more. Read more. Exercise more. Organize your drawers. Polish and shine everything.

What if all we really need to do is love each other better?
To keep learning what it means to love each person just a little better?

I don't always know how to do that. And often I fail. But I'm gonna keep showing up with love. Life is a laboratory of love. We get to keep working it out.

Gratitude. Forgiveness. Patience. Ears to listen. Hearts to sort the grain from the chaff. These are the tools we get.

I'm listening to Oleta Adams, because I still start with the A's on New Year's Day, and I may cut out some sugar today. . . but my only true resolution this year is to love a little better.

Lord, 
Help me to love each and every person in my life just a little better this year. 
Amen.