New Year’s Eve! It is always a night of regret and hope.

Every year on New Year’s Eve I reflect on the past year and I think about how I should have lost weight, should have studied the Bible more, and I should have cleaned my house a bit better.

By the end of my reflection, I am typically disheartened and angry with myself for not being a better person. I usually end up making a list of well meaning resolutions. The list always starts off with losing 50 pounds, reading the entire Bible, and keeping my whole house neat and tidy.

On January 1, I am usually completely motivated and excited about the New Year ahead. However, by February, I am usually the same weight and have not studied or cleaned as well as I have hoped. That is when I lose sight of those original goals and give up on myself.

This year, New Year’s was a bit different for me. I started to think about the past year and how I never would have guessed how wild and crazy it actually turned out.

With all of the unexpected events I have experienced this year, I would never be able to complete my New Year’s Resolutions that I issued myself on December 31, 2011. So I experienced something amazing this year. I reflected on all of my accomplishments of 2012.

I cleaned out the house to make room for a nursery, I had the confidence to apply for a new job that I love, I only gained 12 pounds throughout my pregnancy, I spent most of the year without my ADHD medicine, I read two entire books of the Bible, I completed a month long daily devotional, I finished a book series, I started organizing my recipes, and I finally gave myself permission to let go of the CPA exam.

None of these accomplishments are as lofty as my usual resolutions, but together they seem amazing.

My resolutions for 2013 are simple: Love God, love my family, and love myself. If I can work towards these three things, I will spend December 31, 2013, once again celebrating a wonderful year.