The Backside Dimple Party

This will ultimately be the most difficult thing I have ever done. Don't get me wrong, I am fine putting myself on display and making a parody of myself in most any situation, but when something is real, well that becomes hard.

I think first it is important to note that I absolutely abhor New Year's Resolutions. It's not the idea as much as the sure failure that follows. I am a girl who has had enough failure in her life - seriously, who needs certain failure every January 12th? Not I, said the brown cat. So, several years ago I divorced resolutions in favor of goal setting.

See, goals are measurable. I sit down, think about the year to come, and then set short-term and long-term goals for myself. My grandfather-in-law, who is a wealthy man, gave a family speech about the importance of setting goals a few years ago. I don't set goals to become rich, instead I set goals that are almost always attainable (I need to reassure myself that I can complete something!). Each new year when I look back at my goals from the previous year, I find success in some areas and progress in others. Sometimes I flat out blow it, but who needs to dwell in that?!

All of this leads me to this year's goals setting. Alongside vamping up our savings cushion and working my way through the entire Old Testament, I want also to eradicate my backside dimple party. Yes, you heard me right.

Here's the hard part I mentioned earlier - I battle food. In fact, I liken it to an alcoholic's battle with the drink. I am certainly not obese my any means, but there in lies my battle. Every time I pick up a piece of food I am calculating how many laxatives it will take to rid the fat from my body. I will stand at the chip cart at Subway warring inside myself between the beloved, cheesy Doritos or the health-friendly Sunchips. Seriously. My daughter laughs at me - and I dare not share with her why.

So there it is. I want to be healthy and enjoy the foods that bring me such pleasure, and I can, I just have to first get off my dimpled behind and do something about it! So this is my virtual cry for help and, to show I am serious, I am posting a picture, above, of my inspiration.

Yes, it's troublesome. Get over it - it's my rear. Actually, it's not. I wanted to be brave, but then I felt slightly scandalous, so I opted instead for a random image of some other woman's dimple party. What I hope to do - with your help ( my virtual accountability of sorts) - is embark on a journey of health. I want to not only sit on my medicine ball, but embrace it in a workout! I want to say, "yeah, ice cream and cake devoid of moderation and exercise do not equal a fancy backside" and then do something about it! Gone are the days of me weeping silently at the glimpsed reflection of myself in the full length mirror. I want instead to strive to take care of myself and, more importantly, feel good that I am willing to do the hard thing.

I believe we are suppose to take care of the bodies we have, but, quite frankly, I am busy and I often feel my body should just naturally keep up with my mental image of it- sans working out. But, for some reason (I am being fecious here) my metabolism has slowed and is wreaking havoc on my body! My whole idea of willing myself into a healthy body is simply not working. It's time to face the double churned ice cream, sister - I need to stop thinking, wishing, wanting, and start doing.

I don't have a weight goal. I just want to break free of the bondage I have with food and, in the process, end the backside dimple party that keeps me at war with myself. I got this one - one squat at a time!

Kings to You

I you have watched the Count of Monte Cristo you might be familiar with that line, but Christmas morning, after a long treasure hunt, I found those words tied to wooden King from an old chess set buried in an old wooden box. When I lifted the chess piece out of the box, I found a most unexpected gift from my family. The gift, however, was not what compelled me to grab my computer and write this Christmas morning. Don't get me wrong - the gift was amazing! Yet, what made the gift so spectacular was the way in which was presented to me.

My husband and I have a rule at Christmas time - gifts are for the kids. We stuff each other stockings with mints, socks, lottery scratch tickets, and fishing flys, but the real money we allot to spend generally goes to legos, iTunes gift cards, and the like.

This year, after all the presents under the tree had been opened and after all the stockings had been unstuffed, my husband comes from around the tree with a large, heavy box and explains, "I could not fit this one in your stocking."

When I opened the paper I found myself jumping into a treasure hunt that led me around my house to find clues that gave me numbers that would ultimately open a pad lock that was secured to a wooden box.

Each clue I found there was a letter attached from one of my three children. Their letters said things that in a normal day to day often get missed. "I love that you snuggle me", said my seven year-old. "I love that take care of me and cook for me", my nine year-old said. "Everyday I try to become more like you", words from my teenage daughter.

At the end when I opened my new flash (very cool, indeed!), I re-read the letters from my sweet children. There is plenty that I do wrong on any given day - plenty of words said that I should have held, plenty of patience forgotten. Yet, at the end of the day my kids know, without a doubt, that I love them more than any words I could ever express. A friend once shared the idea that she tries everyday to show her kids how much Jesus loves them by her actions. I guess I do that okay from time to time.

When I sat later and reflected the presentation of the gift I had received from my family I could not help but think of the parallels of that and Christianity. Do we hastily hand someone a gift? Do we force the gift on them? Are we sometimes so rushed that we forget even to wrap the gift and instead present it to them in a Wal-Mart shopping bag, price tag still attached?

For me, I know how much presentation means. Not outward appearance, but true and sincere love that causes us to want desperately want to woe. I know that God does the ultimate heart changing, but that does not change the fact that I want to partner with Him in the wooing. I want to stand with Him and love on the brokenhearted; the rejected; the outcasts; the "sinners". I want to sit beside them and show them the beauty of the God whose heart is melted for them. I want to read them letters, love letters, that share gratefulness and love for the person they are.

I am overwhelmed this Christmas season. Overwhelmed with joy - unspeakable JOY and thankfulness for the most fantastic gift I have ever received. Thank you, Jesus. Kings to you!