Bring in the new

Happy New Year to everyone out there.  I hope 2011  brings everyone health, peace and a greater knowledge and relationship of our Lord.

I had started to write about how I hoped 2011 would be better for me than 2010.  But then I started to think about the good things that came about in 2010:

• A new niece (Kate) and a new nephew (Caleb).  What a blessing babies are! It is great to be an Aunt twice over in one year.
• The kids continued to do well in school.  Olivier made the transition to middle school well.  That was a big change for all of us, but it went well.
• Eric had a great year in his job.  In this economy, that is saying something! His superiors like him, and like what he is doing for the company. 
• I got into the best physical shape of my life in the first half of the year.  I've fought the second half to try and keep it, lol. 
• The kids are healthy. 

Yeah, 2010 did have its BIG challenge--breast cancer.  The reason we are here. I wouldn't add that to the list of blessings right now. Perhaps at some point in the future, I will be able to see the good in it.  Right now, I'm in the thick of the fight. 

I never have been one to make New Year's Resolutions.  If I decide I'm going to do something, I do it, regardless of the time of the year. But this year, I can't help but feel like its good to make some goals for myself.   Physical, mental and spiritual goals.  So here they are:

• I want to lose another 15 pounds. I'm going to wait until after my radiation to really get serious about this.  But I know how to do it-I lost 50 pounds last year.  I was about 10 away from my goal when I was diagnosed.  Suddenly, losing weight didn't seem as important when I had cancer to think about. Since diagnosis, I've put about 5 back on-and that is on top of losing all of my breast tissue.  After radiation ends in February, its going to be back to counting calories until I reach my original weight loss goal from 2009.  
• I would like to get through radiation without a flare up of lymphedema.  This is definitely out of my control.  But I can do what I can do to help: twice daily manual drainage; keeping up with exercise, even if radiation makes me tired; avoiding salt; bandaging; and wearing my compression sleeve.  If after all of that I swell up, then so be it.  But I will have done all I could do. 
• On the spiritual side, I want to get back into a disciplined daily Bible reading program.  I'll admit that I've let that slide over the past year.  Its strange because in some ways, my walk has deepened nonetheless.  But I miss God's Word, and I know that it feeds my spirit.  A few years ago, I dove into reading both Old and New Testaments in one year.  It was a push, and I didn't have a 2 year old at the time.  I found a reading schedule on Blue Letter Bible that will get you through both in 2 years.  It alternates one day of Old Testament with one day of New.  Today's reading was only 3 chapters of Genesis. I can do this.  I NEED to do this, and I will.  I also want to keep up with the Women's Bible Study at church that starts later this month.
• I'd like to do the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk in November. 60 miles in 3 days.  I'll focus on that more after radiation. I need to make sure I can get through that without my arm swelling up like a balloon.  I don't want to let lymphedema take me out of that.  First things first. 

I may come up with more goals as the year goes on.  For me right now, I think simplicity will be best.  It would be easy to make a big laundry list of things "to do" and then easily forget.  So there it is.  

Out with the old, bring in the new!