It’s New Year’s Eve. Time to reflect on 2016. Mine was CRAZY and nothing at all like I expected it would be. FEBRUARY: our landlord of two years, came to us and said he was selling our house and we could move out or buy it. If we were moving out we had 30 days to find a new place and move.What?! We wanted to buy the house but weren’t going to be ready to in 30 days. MARCH: Daughter #1 (Punkin) got 
engaged last December and was planning a September wedding. They decided that a big, expensive party wasn’t what they wanted and got married in March in Estes Park with just parents and siblings. So fun! APRIL: Son #2 (Bear) made the decision to go into the Army and wanted to get married before he left. We planned a 
backyard wedding in three weeks and it was beautiful! MAY: I became seriously ill with a blood clot in my lung. Then they found more. Lots and lots of them. I spent a week in the hospital and over a month before I went back to work.I still have six months left of medication for it. JUNE: Bear left for Basic Training. Communication only by letters until graduation in August. That was hard on all of us. JULY: Max, the wonderdog, came to live with us. AUGUST: Bear graduated from Basic Training and our whole family was able to go and celebrate with him. We saw him a couple of days and he headed to Medic Training in San Antonio until December. SEPTEMBER: We FINALLY bought the house after negotiations all 
summer. Son #1 (Superman) made the decision to go into the Army and wanted to get married before he left. We planned another backyard wedding in three weeks and it was beautiful! OCTOBER: We found out that Punkin and her husband are expecting next summer! We made a trip to San Antonio to see Bear, with his wife and daughter so he could be with the baby on her birthday. NOVEMBER: Big Daddy and I went to Las Vegas for a few days and RELAXED. DECEMBER: We found out that Superman and his wife are expecting a baby next summer! We made a trip to San Antonio for Bear’s graduation and got to BRING HIM HOME!!! For the first time in 26 weeks we had the whole family together for Family Night and then for Christmas. Bear’s family just moved this week to their first station and of all the Army bases in the world it’s only 2 1/2 hours away! I’m so grateful! The head gasket went out in my Jeep and 
we had to go buy a new car, but it’s AWESOME! In JANUARY Superman will be leaving for Basic and we will go back to writing letters and missing our boy. (Daughter #2 (Fancy) got married 3 years ago but since I’m showing wedding pics this is hers…
2016 Summary: 3 weddings, two pregnancy announcements, 2 sons joined the Army, got a new dog, bought a house, bought a new car, a serious illness and a quick trip to Las Vegas. Talk about unexpected events. We had absolutely zero idea that ANY of those things were going to happen. Life can’t be planned. You can make a plan, but if you hold determinedly to it and can’t roll with the reality, you’re going to make yourself miserable (and probably everyone around you). All you can control are your own attitudes, actions, thoughts and words. That’s enough for most of us to take on. When you start trying to control everything else, and others in your life, you are going to be met with frustration and disappointment because it’s an impossible task, so just don’t.
Something I do every year, and with all my clients, is a handout that I call Intentional Living. It’s a simple 5 question worksheet that helps you make a plan for YOURSELF for the next year. You can only control yourself, so make a plan. Here’s the five questions:
- Choose a single word to represent you this year.
- Choose a phrase that is your overarching theme.
- What will be different for you at the end of 2017?
- What is one challenge that is standing in your way?
- What are you committed to doing to make it your best year yet?
Take some time and write these out with your answers. Keep it on your phone, post it on your fridge, put it somewhere you can see it often to help you stay on track. It will give you a framework on which to make decisions for the year. Clients love looking back at the end of the year and seeing how they have lived out their plan, despite all the unexpected dodgeballs life threw at them. What’s your plan? I’d love for you to leave me your word or phrase in the comments!
I hope for each of you, that 2017 brings you love, laughter and beautiful memories!
Jules
Sessions from the Heart 
Wow Jules, even though I knew a little about your 2016, reading it all at one time was eye opening and inspiring. As you know, no, my life hasn’t gone down the path I thought it would at this point. Although it’s tough right now, I really believe God made me available for Angel and I will try very hard to listen for His guidance. -aAlso, I’ll print those questions and try to tackle them. God bless you and all in your circle. Jan
LikeLike
I’ve been surfing online mօrе than 3 hours toԁay, yet Ӏ never
foսnd аny interesting article ⅼike youгѕ. It is
pretty worth enoᥙgh for me. In my view, if ɑll website oeners and bloggers mаde good content аs
you did, the net wіll be muсh more useful than evｅr ƅefore.
LikeLike
Thank you for your kind remarks! I’m happy my words are helpful to you.
LikeLike