I got this from a friend and wanted to share it:
Priorities For The New Year
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was.
The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your spouse, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.
The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.
Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.” Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter.
What a thought for the New Year. You can make all types of resolutions but if you don’t have your priorities in the right place it won’t matter. This year, should you decide to make resolutions, I would encourage you to make them in line with your priorities.
So make those resolutions but make sure you make the ones that will mean the most to you and your loved ones. Sometimes life can be too much and we need to take a moment to reevaluate just what is important in our lives. I did this at the end of 2008 and it's why I gave up my position as the Christian Fiction Coordinator and a reviewer at www.theromancereadersconnection.com. I have my blogs, www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com and www.tarheelreads.blogspot.com and this one. I'll be able to set my own deadlines, and if at times I need to put reading aside because my son needs the extra help with school, or I have my own writing to do, or our business needs attention then I can do it and not feel guilty for missing a deadline. I miss reviewing with the wonderful ladies at TRRC, but I've also found the stress relief soooo much better. It's such a pleasure now to read, whereas before it was becoming a chore. I read/review/discuss/invite authors to My Book Addiction blog from the secular section of reading, and I'll read/review/discuss/invite authors to my Tarheel Reads blog from the Christian Fiction section of the reading world. I'm hoping 2009 will find me in a much better place than 2008 did.
We lost both my motherinlaw and my DH's father's mother, both within a month of each other. We then lost my Great uncle passed away. It's been a strange, long, emotionally challenging year, 2008 was. I won't say 2009 can't be worse because it can. But thank the good Lord so far it's being good to us. My DH is now working for himself, he recently got an offer to occasionally work with a guy he's worked with for over 20yrs. That will help to off-set any losses we might have felt from now working a "job". We had figured up how many inspections he'd need to do in a week/month's time to make what he made at his "job" and so far he's worked more than that. He's much more relaxed, and we are both excited about it. This makes the kids more relaxed and excited. I'm scared but it's that good kinda scared you get. I really feel the Lord was leading us to this. My DH has wanted to be his own boss for years.
I'm thinking I might need to print off this post to remind myself often that the "small stuff" is just that it's small. There is NOTHING too big for God to handle and by letting it go, I'm allowing him to care for me as He longs to do.
I hope you all will find your own resolutions to be as enlightening and life changing.
hugs,
WendyK
Monday, January 05, 2009
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