TEN 2022 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Ten years ago, I wrote these New Year's Resolution for 2012.
They are as relevant today as then.

 

I will strive to. . .

Live each day to the fullest and allow the activities of that day to take me on new, winding journeys I never expected. “Ninety-five percent of the people who died today had expected to live a lot longer.” --Albert M. Wells, Jr.

Be more patient with people, family, processes, my writing, distractions—even slow elevators. We must learn that, like the farmers, we can’t sow and reap the same day.

Exercise more, listen more, laugh more. . . and let the future come one day at a time, as it always does.

Enjoy my home to its fullest, despite the work, dust and menial chores that surround me which often gobble time set aside for writing. After all, home is where you hang your heart.

Dream . . . or rather allow myself the luxury to dream. Dreams are the heart of creativity. “The poorest of all men is not the man without a cent, but a man without a dream.”

Handle criticism graciously.  “If it’s untrue, disregard it. If it’s unfair, keep from irritation. If it’s ignorant, smile. If it's justified, learn from it." --Anonymous

Be grateful for the doors of opportunity. . .and for friends who oil the hinges. As writers, we need our family, our friends, and other writers who understand the trials and toils of the writing process.

Help find and better define truth in the world. We have lost sight of the importance of truth and honesty in our lives. Our media and people today have failed to delineate the difference between fact versus opinion. “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”-- Aldous Huxley

Understand  and accept that peace does not mean the same thing (or have the same definition) for all the people who inhabit our world. Therefore, as part of a U.S. military family, I will pray for a peace that will remove all our men and women in foreign lands and bring them home to the safety of American soil. “God blesses those who work for peace, for they shall be called the children of God.”   Matthew 5:9

Reiterate my daily mantra in the New 2022 Year to all who will listen:

  

                                          “Never let anyone steal your  joy.” 

 

                                         The Musical Christmas Series
                                         

DECEMBER ~ LAST BUT NOT LEAST

 

What does December mean to you? For me, the month inspires a flurry of activity. December is the start of the Christmas season as well as the winter solstice. In northern states, it’s a time for outdoor snowy sports like skiing, sledding, ice skating, snowmobiling, and snowman building.

Inside, the wonderful smells of hearty meals cooking on the stove top or in the oven permeate the air. Recipes for cookies and wonderful holiday desserts emerge from hiding, whether in a cookbook or scrap of paper stuffed in a drawer or cupboard. What about fruitcake?  Ho, ho, ho. Bake it with a lot of nuts and soak it in rum, and I’m a fan.

Most of all, December brings us thoughts of Christmas with its holiday music, glowing candles, twinkling lights, colorful decorations, poinsettias, wreaths and trees, and air-filled Santas rocking in the neighbor’s front yard.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is receiving Christmas cards, now a dying practice. My husband and I send out about sixty cards each year. We enjoying hearing from friends and family and learning about their various activities throughout the year. What do I like the least about the holiday? Luckily I can easily dispense with Elf on the Shelf and all the Ugly Sweater parties.

Despite the hustle and bustle of December, we all need to remember the true meaning of Christmas. For Christians, it’s the joyous celebration of the birth of the Christ child. Also, it’s all about what you give and not what you get. It’s the season of peace, hope, love…and magic. 

FOR A HEARWARMING HOLIDAY READ

THE MUSICAL CHRISTMAS SERIES

JUNE ~ THE PIANIST

ADLENE ~ THE VIOLINIST

LUCY ~ THE CLARINETIST 

LINK for Judy Ann's Amazon Author Page 

  Releasing on December 7^th

A Maple Cookie Homecoming

$2.99

Click here for Amazon Pre-order

Blurb:

When Julien Franklin returns home for Christmas after retiring from the military, his first mission is to taste his home town's maple cookies and find office space for his civilian website business. He's delighted to find the apartment above The Book Bin bookstore is for rent and owned by his old high school sweetheart.

Natalie Pinkett, widow and single parent, has some tragic secrets gnawing at her soul, but she needs to rent the empty rooms to help with her many expenses. To complicate matters, an old love will be literally working above her head—and he owns a rambunctious puppy her daughter has fallen in love with.

Can Julien woo the pretty bookstore owner and get her to reveal her painful past? Will the two be able to cross the divide of twenty-four years and find love again

FROSTY OCTOBER

October is here with its frosty mornings, the scent of wood smoke, and its rainbow-colored leaves. The land is preparing for a long rest after seasons of birth, growth, and harvest.

Mahatma Gandhi once said there is more to life than increasing its speed. We live in a world where communication, travel, and manufacturing has helped us to do things faster, whether it’s a K-cup coffee machine, a new direct flight from one state to another, or the ability to self-checkout at a store to avoid long lines.

October lets us reflect upon our lives and realize life isn’t a race. We can slow down and stop living in the fast lane. We can enjoy the moment, take the longer scenic route, and enjoy the view.

As we prepare for winter, we’re able to readjust our end-of-the-year goals. We have the opportunity to enjoy the seasonal perks of hot chocolate, cider, and pumpkin pie. We get to relish the delicious smell of apples--with cinnamon and sugar--cooking on the stove. We can recall the familiar seasonal sounds of dried leaves crunching underfoot or the honking of geese overhead, heading south.

And, last but not least, we welcome Jack Frost. 

 Now on pre-order for Christmas, my novella:

A Maple Cookie Homecoming