The year is drawing to a close, and I am trying to get everything done that I had hoped to get done much earlier.  Where does time go?  All those good intentions I had are now breathing down my neck, with just days to go before year end.

I have many good intentions. Don’t we all? But in the rush of every day life, my good intentions sometimes seem to get lost.  The call I meant to make, or the note I had hoped to write, or the visit I wish I had made.  

Sometimes the list of “shoulds” is much longer than wants, and I know I need to honor more of my intentions.  This next year I would like to forgive myself for some of those things on my list that truly are not as important – and work to focus on those things that truly do matter.

Here’s a start: Being present and listening.  Being intentional.  Valuing what is important to me. Speaking up.

So this holiday season I am going to forgive myself for not cleaning out my attic, finishing my daughter’s baby book (she is 13), organizing my files, cleaning my car or baking all the cookies that my mother used to.  

Instead, it’s enough that I got a mammogram, reached out, donated my time and money, spent time listening, asked my daughter to do her squirrel imitation one more time and hugged people I love.

I hope your holiday is filled with one or two good intentions. Let the other stuff go.