Grace

Did you make a New Year Resolution?  I have not had too much success in the past regarding resolutions.  Perhaps that is because they often involve giving up something that I like.  For example, dieting would require me to give up food-which I like.  Exercising would force me to forgo my afternoon nap, and that is just not an option.  (I get up very early)   So, you can see why my attempts at a resolution have been less than successful. 
This year I thought about it long and hard.  There are many things that I would like to do or not to do but at the same token, I was less than excited about jumping on the band wagon and then being met with yet another failure.  Those that know me know that I hate to fail!  At anything!  I know that failure is not on anyone's top ten list of things to do, but I take it to a different level.  When I was in school the mere thought of failing a test would make me break out in a cold sweat.(And by failing I mean anything less than a B!) I would get myself so worked up that I often psyched myself out. Once I got a 'C' on my report card and I burst into tears.  My friends looked at my report card and saw all the A's & B's and said that they'd be thrilled with a report card like that.  I was devestated!  So, I'm not about to set myself up for failure.
 What I did do, was something that you may have seen or heard others do, I decided to choose a word for the year. 
My word is Grace.
                                                                   GRACE
The word itself sound lovely to me.  But I didn't choose it because it sounds nice.  I choose grace because I want to try to live my life with more grace.  I need to live my life with more grace.  In my journey, my struggles and my pains, my happiness and my  joys, I have been blessed to know the love of God has been with me.  Carrying me when I could no longer walk, cheering me on from the sidelines, whispering in my ear, encouraging me all they way.  I owe it to Him to live with grace. 
                           grace
I want to give more of it, accept more of it and offer more of it, to my friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and even my enemies.  In return I expect nothing.  Not really.  But I do believe that I will gain somethng in return and that is peace.  Peace, is something that we all could use more of.
Grace, Peace and God.  I will try to live up to the person that He wants me to be, the person that He knows I am capable of being and that person is me.  Just as I am, but perhaps a slightly better version.