It’s almost the last day of the year. Going back through my pictures I am amazed at how much my children have changed and grown.

I’m also amazed at how much I haven’t! Seriously, what happened to losing 20 pounds? Or blogging 365 days? Or reading all those books of the Bible?

Oh well, if I had accomplished all that I’d be a little to full of myself so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t. I’m always a sucker for the start of a new year though so I have spruced up our school area and school schedule and have all kinds of grand weight loss ideas running through my head (which is much easier than actually running with your body). 

I’ve been thinking of the direction I’d like my blog to go and what the focus should be for 2013.

Not just the focus for the blog but for myself in general. So when I picked up the book A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans and found my inspiration in the introduction I was pretty pumped.

Really it’s from the Bible, via Rachel, and it was this verse in Proverbs, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” (31:25)

I had already been chatting it up with God thinking, if I could just find something to laugh about every day I would be so happy. God said “obviously if you were laughing you would be happy…” (He can be very snarky sometimes.) I told Him, “No, what I mean is if I could find (and help others find the humor) I would feel fulfilled, content.”

I wrote about making people laugh a while ago in this post.  It seems like God keeps bringing it up, laughter and humor, perspective on the serious stuff and the superficial nonsense, is a needed thing. 
I have struggled with my calling in life (doesn’t everyone?) not because I don’t love my husband and children. I know that I have certain talents and gifts and ideas that God gives me and he is probably pretty annoyed with me when I don’t take advantage of the blessings.

So I used my typical grand idea planning (that falls by the wayside because I tend to be a lazy procrastinator) and thought “why don’t I try to blog that for 2013? I mean if a you need a year of funny it would be in the year ’13, right?”

Most of the time, my life is very humorous. Just being here with all these small humans gives you enough fodder for jokes. But what about outside this house? My mind went to the recent school shootings, could there be humor found that day? Could anyone have laughed or cracked a joke? I bet you are thinking “NO WAY” that would be sacrilegious.

I would argue that their was laughter that day. From the parents who did not have to tell their babies goodbye, but also from the families who did. I’ve been at the hospital and homes when loved ones are just about to pass away or have just passed away. Young and old, expected or not, and inevitably someone will bring up something that person did that was so funny. They might joke about “it’s a good thing mom didn’t see you wearing that!” to a sibling. 

Humor and laughter are as much a part of our being as breathing. We take ourselves way too seriously most of the time. I don’t believe we are supposed to function without it!

So I think that’s where I will try to go this year in bloggy land. I think. I will try. Just don’t hold me to it if I change my mind.