I found this little gem on Writer’s Digest  in 2007 and as promised yesterday I thought it would be fun to do again from my 2009 perspective :

Most of us set a New Year’s resolution that this was going to be the year we finished ____________ (fill in the blank) But once again, we neglected it. Write an apology in the comment section of this post to your ____________ (whatever you didn’t finish) explaining what happened and how you plan to make it up to _____________ (whatever you didn’t finish).

As is always my way, I experienced several internal responses when considering this particular endeavor.

My first response this year is that I am not sorry for anything. The year played out according to God’s plan and his plan is always for good. What is there to be sorry for in that?

My second response was to look back at what I wrote for January 1, 2008. The title bears much for significance for 2008 than I realized in 2007…My Cornerstone for 2008. As with most resolutions – my quest to read the three ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff’ books was lost in the sorrow, anxieties, and panic that encompassed much of 2008 for me and my family. However, as God had planned it, all that I aspired to by reading the chapters I highlighted in the post, was accomplished. Accomplished not through reading the words of man but by focusing on the word of God.

My third response was that I still haven’t increased my photography inventory enough to begin marketing/selling it. However, I feel no sorrow or regret about this either. God’s work is not about instant gratification. It’s in quietly listening to the Holy Spirit as you slowly (and we all know how slowly that can be) inch toward how God intends for you to glorify Him.This has been quite the journey for me beginning here…In Search of The Holy Grail..continued here….I Want To Be The Knife…and here….Leaps of Faith.

My fourth response was that my creative writing took a hit from the events of 2008. I was on a private journey of gaining ‘substance’ sticking only to surface pondering when writing publicly. Now in 2009, it is my prayer that my journey of ‘substance’ will weave it’s way into my writing. You may have already begun to see a difference in my posts.

Today’s Around the Square: I have known Jana from Bread Crumbs for a few years now. Although our contact through 2008 has been quite sparse, I am still inspired by her words of wisdom and life experience. I hope you are able to make time in your busy day to stop by and pay her a visit. You will not be disappointed.

Today I am grateful for: friends like Jana who take the time out of their busy schedules to help someone they have never met ‘get their ducks in a row’ and ‘quacking’.

Today I am going to simplify my life: by sorting through the wicker ‘catch all’ basket that is just inside my studio/office door and is beginning to overflow onto any available surface…next stop will be the floor if I don’t sort/file/throw away.

I’m not going to put up a Mr. Linky (it plays negatively on my psyche when no one links…grin). However, if you have written your own response to the Writer’s Digest fill-in-the blank writing prompt for the New Year….let me know in the comments section, I would love to read your answer!!!