Saturday, December 31, 2011

Looking Ahead to 2012

I love the start of a new month and a new year! In the words of Anne of Green Gables:

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

Yes, it is very nice indeed! And what's nicer still is to know that God's grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9), even when I fail.

Before I talk more about 2012, I thought I would share a few pictures from Christmas 2011:

Aren't these pajamas fabulous?? A reader/writer's delight! Love 'em! (Thank you, Mom and Dad!)

Oh, nothing beats my grandma's Texas cake! And isn't this one just beautiful? A wonderful Christmas Eve treat!

Muffin Man had such a fun time with the wrapping paper and boxes!

Here comes 2012!

Now, ready or not, 2012 is upon us. Last year in my Countdown to 2011 I wrote separate posts to talk about my blog plans and my New Year's resolutions.

Today, I'm avoiding the specific.

Thinking about this coming year is sometimes scary. I'll be graduating from college in May - and before you ask me what I plan on doing, the answer is that I'm not sure. It feels like 2012 will be full of uncertainty.

But the truth is, no matter what day or month or year it is, there will always be uncertainty, because we just don't know what tomorrow will bring:

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."
~ James 4:13-15

I take comfort in God's sovereignty, as well as His love for me. He has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11), and in all things He is working for the ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

So, without knowing right now how busy I might be or where God will lead me in the coming year, I don't want to commit to hosting certain blog events or posting a set amount of times a week. I'm hoping to write more devotional posts and maybe do some themed weeks - and of course more books reviews! We'll see how it goes, one day at a time. =)

I really appreciate your friendship, and I hope you'll enjoy the ride this year, wherever we end up!

As for resolutions, while I'm hoping to get back to more writing and exercising, I think the one resolution I really want to make is to trust God. I don't have to be afraid of 2012 and what it might bring, for I have hope in God, and the future is bright indeed through an eternal perspective. I hope the new blog design for winter 2012 conveys excitement for the journey and peace in God's guidance. (The main picture is one I took at Fort Humboldt here in Northern California.)

So, 2012 - I'm ready when you are!

16 comments:

Hutt-Write Voice said...

Gorgeous new blog design! Best of luck on the last stretch till graduation!

Wall-to-wall books said...

Yes, the PJs are adorable!
The cake is gorgeous!
Love the cat - I am a cat person! I have a Maine Coon named Martina (after Martina McBride).
And congrats (early) for Grad in May!
Nice post!

Amber Holcomb said...

Linda,

Aww, thank you! I'm glad you like the new blog design, and I really appreciate your encouragement! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Wall-to-wall Books,

Glad you agree! :)

Our family's cat is pretty strange, but we love him anyway. ;) I'm a cat person, too, and I actually have a tabby cat that stays at my grandparents' house named Mr. Murphy (Muffin Man is my sister's cat, although he kind of belongs to the family now). :) Maine Coons look so beautiful! I'm guessing that's Martina in your profile pic? She's lovely. :)

Thank you for stopping by, and for the kind words!

~Amber

Kara said...

love the pictures, I SOOOOO want a shirt/pjs like that :) thanks for sharing and will keep you in prayer as you finish college, God totally has your back and will lead you in the direction He wants you to go in :) Happy New Year and I agree with your last comment: 2012, ready when you are, oh yeah! blessings!
kara

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Awww love your kitty! I took similar pics of my dog Coco and boy did they look cute!

Happy New Year!

XOXO~ Renee

Amber Holcomb said...

Kara,

Thank you! Aren't the PJs awesome?? :) My parents are so thoughtful!

And thank you so, so much for the prayers - I really appreciate your kindness! Happy New Year to you, as well, and God bless!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

Looks can be deceiving... LOL! Seriously, though, while Muffin Man may be ornery, he's cute, fun, and occasionally sweet. ;) And he's a little more photogenic than my cat (who stays at my grandparents' house), Mr. Murphy. :) (Although Mr. Murphy purrs more often!)

Anyway, I bet those pictures of Coco are adorable! She's a lovely dog. :) Will you be posting any of them on your blog?

Happy New Year!!

~Amber

Kav said...

Happy New Year, Amber! Love the new look...you're so creative! And I'm happy to see where 2012 takes you and consquently me as your blog follower! I'll be praying for wonderful opportunities and God's peace to be with you as you make decisions about your future.

Love the cat!!!!! Quirky or not, he's a hunk! (don't tell Simba I said that -- Simba being my dog!)

Amber Holcomb said...

Kav,

Happy New Year to you, too, dear friend! :) Thank you so much for your kind words about the blog, as well as your support and prayers. I really appreciate it!!

LOL, I'll have to tell Muffin Man someone thinks he's a hunk... Of course, I don't want it to go to his head. ;)

And I remembered seeing a picture of your dog on your blog, so I went looking back through your older posts and found it again. He is quite handsome! :) Beautiful dog! (Would he prefer "hunk" to "beautiful," though?)

~Amber

Amanda Stanley said...

Happy New Year, dear Amber!!!

Gosh, so many things to say! Ok, LOVE those pj's! Looks like you had a fun Christmas ;) The cake looks so cute and yummy :) and Muffin Man is adorable! Beautiful eyes. And your new blog design is lovely!!

Wow, I want that to be my New Years resolution, too. Trust God. To trust that He is always faithful. My pastor said something so good yesterday concerning God's faithfulness - "God is on time every time." Amen. As I look back over 2011 I see His faithfulness everywhere - and He was always on time every time. I also see, looking back, that His time was rarely ever "my" time but it was always the right time. I guess when we face trials and troubles that's where God shows His faithfulness and in turn builds our trust in Him. I love what you said here - "I take comfort in God's sovereignty, as well as His love for me. He has a plan, and in all things He is working for the ultimate good." And the scripture verses. Oh, Amen, my friend, so beautifully said!

Looking forward to a New Year in Christ and watching His plan unfold for all of us :) May our trust in Him grow and strengthen as we daily witness and experience His faithfulness.

Talk to you soon, dear friend! :)
~Amanda

Amber Holcomb said...

Amanda,

Happy New Year to you, too!! :D Thank you so much for your kind words (and for the lovely Christmas card!!). :)

Aww, I love that we're both on this journey of trust together! And I love what your pastor said - so true! It's a comfort to remember God's perfect timing when we're in a time of waiting. It's a lesson I have to learn over and over... It's hard when we're in a moment of time to realize that God is at work beyond the constraints of time and yet through time in a way that's best seen in hindsight (the whole "hindsight is 20/20" thing). Not sure if that makes sense, but thank you for being so supportive and such a good friend with a beautiful testimony! :)

I love what YOU said here: "May our trust in Him grow and strengthen as we daily witness and experience His faithfulness." Daily - it reminds me of Lamentations 3:22-23...

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Every morning! I want to be thankful God's grace and faithfulness that are shown each day. :) I'm also looking forward to seeing where God guides us in the New Year!

Thank you so much for stopping by, and God bless you and yours!

~Amber

Tales of Whimsy said...

A. SUPER cool PJs.
B. Is his name really Muffin Man? Precious!
C. Graduation? Congratulations!
D. You're right not to commit to anything and trust. Excellent plan.

Amber Holcomb said...

Juju,

I'll just break my comment into a list, too! :)

A. Thank you!
B. Yep! I think my sister picked the name...
C. Thank you, again!
D. Aww, I'm glad you agree, and I appreciate your understanding. :)

~Amber

Jessica Laurie said...

Hi, Amber! Thanks for commenting on my blog. :-) I completely agree with your resolutions, and your blog post reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books "Torrent" by Lisa T. Bergren:

"I think the trick to living fully...is to appreciate what we have, day by day, regardless of what we know MIGHT come our way...If I live life in fear of what might be, how can I truly live my life to the full in the present? And if I do not give myself to the day, to hope, to life, what do I miss?...Life itself, I think. At least the way I want to live it."

(And by the way, those pjs ARE fabulous! ^-^ )

Amber Holcomb said...

Jessica,

You're welcome! I hope you didn't mind me linking to this post - it just really seemed to fit with Abby's last answer in the interview. :) Enjoyed the fun interview, by the way!

That's a great quote from a great book! Thanks for sharing!

~Amber

P.S. Thank you - didn't my parents get me such wonderful PJs??