Happy New Year, 2012!

Hard to believe it, but it's here already. 2011 flew by me, way too quick as always.

I've never been one to make new years resolutions really, and I'm not going to make any right now at the start of 2012, but I will share the goals I made for myself at the start of my year here at the Mount. This start of the brand new year is as good a time as any for me to really renew these goals, maybe add a little more to them and refocus for the next part of this great adventure I'm on.

The goals I set for myself back in August are as follows:

• I want to better understand what God has in store for my future, and I want to better understand specifically what I desire as a career before I go off to grad school.
• I would like a better understanding of my Catholic faith, I want to learn more about the Church as far as traditions, history, teachings, etc.
• I would really like the read and understand the Bible, I haven’t read much of it yet. But I don’t want to just read it for the sake of reading it, I want to understand and really ingest it.
• I would like to learn how to spend a little more time in peaceful prayer with God, I don’t turn to God as often as I should sometimes, especially when I face more difficult matters.

I've made strides in all of these goals since beginning here in August. The Sisters are providing classes to facilitate goal 2 and 3, and it's been a great start with more to come. My ministry placements are helping me with goal 1 in part. My reflection days and daily prayer with the community are bringing along goals 1 and 4.

As I've said before, this year at the Mount is about discovering who I am, who I want to be, and what God has in store for me. That's what this new year is about. That's what every day is about. I can't imagine a better atmosphere to be doing all of this in.

2011 was a jam packed year, it was full of ups, downs, blessings and some hard moments. I find myself in a place now as I enter 2012 that I never would have dreamed of as I entered into 2011 a year ago. It just shows you how much God is in control, and it's amazing the places you'll end up if you just listen to Him.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this new year has in store for me. Happy New Year everyone!