12.31.2012

Hello, 2013. Clanahan Family Rules.

I'm not really going to wax philosophical about 2012. It was a wonderful year in a lot of ways, not so wonderful in some ways, but it was God's gift of time to us. And for that I am grateful, grateful for each year. Grateful for each moment with our family and friends.

As I was thinking about 2013 and what it may have in store for us all, I kept coming back to some sort of Clanahan House Rules. I guess because we've spent a fair amount of 2012 disciplining and attempting to instill values in R&Q that we believe are important. Anyway, here is a list I've come up with initially. It may be modified somewhat as we go on, some things are just hopes for the future, and some are already constants.

Clanahan Family Love Rules - 2013

1. Love the Lord, Your God, with all your heart, mind, and soul. (adopted from Luke 10:27)

2. Cherish your family above all else.

3. Respect your father, mother, and sibling always. We will not always get along or agree, but we must always respect and love.

4. Treat your friends and family the way you want to be treated. Share what you have, even if it's the last animal cracker or your favorite car/baby doll. And be generous in spirit with your giving.

5. Be polite ALWAYS to EVERYONE. Say "thank you", "please", "yes, ma'am/sir", "no, ma'am/sir". Requests will not be honored until these words are used. : ) Always says "I'm sorry" even it's the last thing you want to do. Be the bigger person. 

6. Write thank you notes for everything. We are privileged to be blessed with family and friends that care about us and do amazingly generous things. We WILL write thank you notes and Ryan and Quinn will be a part of the process, even if it's just scribble.

7. Laugh. Laugh through the hardest days, even when it may be through our tears. Laugh because we live an amazingly blessed life. Laugh, laugh, and laugh some more. 

8. Institute a family night/day. Just time for the four of us, no interruptions, and a time for us to enjoy being together, whether it be watching a movie together, playing with cars, or going to the zoo. The time is special if we are together.

9. Stress less. Life is too short. I've been reminded of that all too often lately. Yes, there will be stressful days but we can react differently to the stress. Nothing, no amount of money, bigger house, nicer cars, fancier toys, or cuter clothes can make us truly happy. It is just not worth the stress to attain those things - mo' money, mo' problems. 

10. Celebrate as much as possible. We have some awesome things coming up in 2013 to celebrate --- my niece Kayleigh will arrive in February, the twins will turn THREE in June, and Matt and I will be married 10 years in September. Those are just the big things that I know about. I know there will be many more little things (or maybe big???) moments to be thankful for and enjoy. I want to celebrate everything and give thanks.

Blessed to have experienced 2012. Looking forward to 2013 - here we come!



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2 comments:

Lyric said...

Love these! Happy New Year to you and your sweet family!

Eugenie Anderson said...

Love the Clanahan Rules for 2013! They could easily be "Rules for a Happy Life!"
Perhaps that might just be inspiration for your first book!
Happy New Year!