New Year Meme

My word for the year is "Invitation" -

I feel a fizzing sense of anticipation about this year: as if we are trembling on the brink of something wonderful. . . .

Now let's tackle this list: if it is not past its sell-by date :-)

1.What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Left my church of 23 years for another.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

New Years resolutions and I are not friends. So, no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I wish!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

A dear uncle who lived overseas

5.What countries did you visit?

Eh - a bit of a sore point.

DH's business called louder than Tuscany could.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Focus; perseverance; a toned body; an organized mind and life.

Not much to ask

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

Dates do not remain etched on my mind.

Events yes, dates no.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I completed a nine week lecturing assignment on the book of Romans at a bible school.

The very thought was intimidating - the sort of thing I would normally have run away from so I was pleased to have seen it through.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I think what bothers me the most is that I feel as though I did not achieve any measurable thing this year.

It was a year of good intentions that never got off the ground.

10. Did you suffer injury or illness?

No - for which I am very grateful

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Flat screen TV for the bedroom.

Always swore I wouldn't ever have one there

but omihat!

it is so cool to lie in bed and watch the cricket in the early morning, drinking coffee and gossiping about how vrot the umpires are;

or how great it is to thrash the Aussies.

Not to mention the odd movie.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

DH for the way he spoils me (well I am celebrating it!);

SD for the way she coached D-GD1 through her Matric;

D-GD1 for making it through Matric, better than she (or anyone else expected)

JD for keeping it together with 3 demanding young kids and a super-busy DH;

SS for multi-tasking in a spectacular way;

JS for nailing down a great job and learning to scale cliff faces.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Mugabe for what he is doing to Zim;

China for what they are doing to Tibet.

And the rest of us who somehow have made a world where they can.

14. What did most of your money go?

Who knows!

Petrol? Phone calls?

15. What did you get really really really excited about?

Moving to Common Ground church.

You have to understand: that was an honest-to-God miracle.

And a miracle is something to get excited about, isn't it?

And, SA cricket thumping Aus in two straight tests and winning the series

That was just plain exciting

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

I don't do music in year-blocks; it doesn't work that way for me

17.Compared to this time last year are you:

a) happier or sadder b) thinner or fatter c) richer or poorer

a)Happier, by FAR (last year was spectacularly difficult); b)about the same; c)don't have a clue

18.What do you wish you'd done more of?

Been more intentional about interacting with friends; walking; painting; writing; praying; exercising.

The weird thing is that these are all things I really want to do.

How is it that I don't do them?!

Its a mystery to me

And it makes me crazy

19.What do you wish you'd done less of?

Watching TV; idling about; time wasting on the computer (and that does NOT include blogging!)

20.How did you spend Christmas?

Not that again! Just been there, ok!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Just remained so - highly recommended

22. What was your favourite TV program?

Without a single doubt: Brothers and Sisters

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

At the risk of sounding pious, I don't hate people. Do have problems with some people's attitudes and behaviour though - read Mugabe, for eg.

24. What was the best book you read?

The Shack

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

KT Tunstall

26. What did you want and get?

Closure and peace about my bruising church experience; a new church home; a job for JS.

27. What did you want and not get?

To be more organized and more productive

28. What was your favourite film of the year?

No contest - As It Is In Heaven.

Never seen a movie with so many layers!

I have seen it at least 5 times and have bought the dvd for good measure

29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

Dinner with family and best friends from Plett.

And old enough for that to be a rude question

30.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I had done all the things I dreamt of doing.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Say what!

Please - I live in Fish Hoek

If I put on a skirt, I feel pretentious!

32. What kept you sane?

Lots of solitude and silence;

natural beauty (in nature, I mean);

a happy family;

people who would listen

33. Which celeb/ public figure did you fancy the most?

Can we say admire?

I thought Morgan Tsangurai was very brave; but perhaps Helen Zille, mayor of Cape Town would be my choice.

She won the internatinal award for the best mayor and that takes some doing.

I had high hopes for our stand-in president but he has been a disappointment.

Jake White (rugby); Graham Smith (cricket); Nadal (tennis)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Wow - lots went on last year.

Zimbabwe; Tibet; xenophobia; Zuma; Obama - plenty to be stirred about wasn't there?

35. Who do you miss?

Not really aware of missing anyone.

Unlike so many SA moms, I have all my near and dear close by.

That is a major joy to me

Mind you, I have a friend who moved to Aus this year - I'd love to be able to have regular coffee dates with her again

36. Who was the best new person you met?

We have met some great people at our new church and are enjoying getting to know them better.

Then blogging friends . . .

One of whom I will be meeting face-to-face soon. Yay!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008

This has been a year of discovering the "pain of freedom" and the reality of grace.

Sometimes the hard things are the answers to our own prayers:

we just don't recognize them.