Number One

Happy New Year! 2011 is here, and as usual I am full of good intentions. Eat wisely, exercise on a regular basis, jog on a schedule, be productive, blah, blah, blah. I'm hoping 2011 will be the year that I will finally achieve those goals that I keep putting in front of me.

But there is one thing that I will definitely do. Sam wrote a book this year about "50 Things Your Life Doesn't Need." It's caused me to think about all the stuff that I don't need in my life, and plan to get rid of at 50 of those things.

But it also caused me to think about something else - about those things that I do need in my life. Those things that I cannot do without. Those things that make me who I am. Those things that are most important. I hope to write about one thing on the first day of each month of this year. For you mathematicians, that makes twelve. Maybe by focusing on twelve, I can focus on making the important things the things, and focus less on those unimportant things. Anyhow, today's the day it all starts. So here goes ...

The most important thing in my life is my faith. It's the thing that gives me purpose, give me hope, gives me a foundation, and gives me life. Without it, there's no meaning. With it, everything has meaning.

My faith is fairly simple - I believe in God, the Supreme Being Who created all that is, all that has been, and all that will be. I don't know everything about God, but I do know this - He is Love. I believe that He sent a part of Himself in his Son Jesus Christ to teach us about love and ultimate sacrifice. I believe that God created us to be in fellowship with Him and with each other. I believe that He wants us to be an extension of Him and His Love to be shared with all that we encounter, whether it be human, animal, agriculture, or anything else that crosses our path. I believe that we are here to make this world a better place, and that once we are done here, there's a better place waiting for us.

So if my faith's the most important thing, what will I do this year? I hope to love and show love more, I hope to pray and listen more to my Maker, and I hope to do that which He put me on this Earth to do.

Because in the end, if I can get the most important thing in my life where it needs to be, then all the other important things will fall into place - and that will make 2011 will be an unbelievable year!

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Today's blessings: Sea World with Lynnette and Lindley; Old Key West with Lindley, Lynnette, and Maribeth; Wolfgang Puck dinner with Lynnette and Maribeth