Hi. So, this year, I intend to make more head space for creativity. Right after I get my taxes figured out in January. Groan. Nothing like making small business owners suffer as we go into New Year 2022, right?
One thing I love about any new year, especially New Year 2022, is that there’s still time to make changes. Yep, we’re walking the earth, talking to our family and friends, generally doing the things humans do.
Things to Keep Doing Right
New Year 2022 will include some things we did right. For instance, Dave and I will make family a priority again in 2022. My work will not rob me of time with my grandchildren. That’s a commitment I intend to keep.
What about you. Besides taxes, which only change for the worse, what are your plans? What will you do differently? What will you stay committed to?
Refuse to Forget
Maybe like me, you want to hold some people in your heart as we begin New Year 2022. Say, like the families grieving for their loved ones lost in Afghanistan. Me too.
Never in my lifetime have we left heroes behind with blatant disregard. I refuse to forget.
A Prayer for Us All
Seriously, I intended to skip blogging this week. For the first time since we began in 2017. You know, part of my New Year 2022 “carve out more creative time” commitment.
But, as soon as it got quiet, my heart filled up. With so much on my heart today, I decided to send you a prayer for us all instead of skipping. Join me in prayer, if you will.
God, Give Us Grace
Dear good Father, Have mercy on our beautiful country. Bless our leaders and elected officials with Your Spirit-inspired wisdom. Spread Your beautiful, loving, righteous Spirit across our land in the hearts of Your people. Clean out what is corrupt and evil throughout our great democracy. Teach us to listen to Your tender voice and obey You by making sacrifices for others.
For those who grasp at politics as an answer, help Christian people to unite around empathy and justice. Teach us to forego pretensions. Help us choose real compassion, not codependency. May we choose righteousness, not self-righteousness. Help us honor You in our hearts first, then everywhere else.
Give us leaders filled with humility and grace. Help us fearlessly identify those in our midst who are trustworthy for leadership.
Heal the brokenhearted. Bind up those who are wounded. Give us spirits as generous and loving as Yours.
Spur our imagination to dwell in empathy for those who fall down. Give us courage to embrace free will and take responsibility for our own decisions and attitudes. We want a revival of love for You, first in our own hearts, then in our nation.
Give us grace in our own families. Teach us to love each other with integrity, starting at home. Bless us now because that is Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Blessings to YOU in New Year 2022
Most of all, know how grateful to God I am each time I think of YOU. Your partnership together through all the positive messages we get to catapult into the universe means the world (to carry my galactic metaphors through). To me, YOU are a superhero.
May God have mercy on us and bless us all.
🙂
cathy
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
What will you change this year? Which attitudes or habits will you keep? In your daily life, what makes you sing praises of gratitude to God?
In case you are looking for our books (folks tell me to make finding them easy to find for my reading friends), here’s an easy link. And here’s easy way to join our Fireside Tribe.
❤️❤️❤️
Cathy Krafve, host of Fireside Talk Radio and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We welcome your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com.
Thank you for that beautiful prayer, Cathy. I join you in it! I also plan to carve out more creative time! I pray God uses us in mighty ways throughout the coming year. Bless you and yours, sweet friend!
April, my Christmas gift to myself was to read both The Keeper and The Keeper II. Wow! I could not put them down. Your books are more delicious than chocolate. (Not that chocolate was on my mind after we opened the stockings.) I truly enjoyed the look behind the scenes at the zoo.
The characters you created engaged my imagination long after I finished the last paragraph. I’m a big fan! I’m gonna pray you get lots of creative inspiration and discipline this year. Selfishly, I want another Keeper for next Christmas!
Amen! I, too, am trying to carve out time for creativity. Writing is one those avenues I’m pursuing to get those thoughts out of my heart and onto paper. My other creative endeavor is to organize all my family photos! That may be biting off more than I can chew! 😯
Organizing family photos is 100% harder than writing. I LOVE your ambition, my friend! I really hope you get some words on paper this year, Michelle. I know our world will be a better place with anything you write. You have such a sweet story, one that many women can relate to. I am praying for you now. I consider it a true privilege to pray for you.
You are very kind. Thank you so much