New Year's Resolutions

Well, this year I probably have more resolutions than I ever have before. I'm not sure why that is. I guess I know I have a lot to work on. One of my resolutions is to start a blog and to update it weekly. If with nothing else, then at least a picture of the week of Temperance. I have heard that some blogs can be bound into a book if you want. I hope this one can. I think it would be neat for Temperance to have later when she grows up. All the stories and pictures of her that I may otherwise forget. I hope never to forget these years, but already I have forgotten so much. My resolution to journal failed miserably last year...so maybe with the journaling being in the form of typing, and the subject being my favorite of all (my little girl!), I will keep it up. I'm sure my mom and the rest of my family will give me great encouragement to do so!

The name of my blog site comes from a quote from one of my favorite Christian Saints of old: St. Augustine. He describes the four cardinal virtues as four forms of love: temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence. Temperance he defines as "love giving itself entirely to that which is loved." I'm not convinced Bert had this quote in mind when he chose the name for our daughter. I'll bet he hasn't heard this quote till he reads this blog :) but I like it.

I'll go ahead and give you the definitions of the other three because they are equally wonderful and they describe very well some of my other resolutions. "Fortitude is love readily bearing all things for the sake of the loved object; justice is love serving only the loved object and therefore ruling rightly; prudence is love is love distinguishing with sagacity between what hinders it and what helps it." Augustine goes on to say that "This object of this love is not anything, but only God, the chief good, the highest wisdom, the perfect harmony. So we may express the definition thus: temperance is love keeping itself entire and incorrupt for God, fortitude is love bearing everything readily for the sake of God; justice is love serving God only, and therefore ruling well all else, as subject to man; prudence is love making a right distinction between what helps it towards God and what might hinder it."

As most women, I fight off worry and fear nearly every moment of the day. The last virtue, prudence, is a great description of my other resolution. To be wise in knowing what is worth worrying about, and what will hinder me from God by my worrying about it.

My daughter is beautiful. Temperance Grace Parham. She will remind me by name and virtue to give my love entirely to God, "the chief good, the highest wisdom, the perfect harmony."