Are you making any resolutions for 2011?

Before us is 2011, a clean slate, a fresh start. What an opportunity to do better, to make some course corrections, to leave behind what's not worth carrying into a new year.
If I were to make a resolution, it ought to be to do better at keeping resolutions. I've apparently kind of outgrown resolution making. It's not resolutions aren't a good idea; it's just that I'm not great at even remembering them a few weeks later.
Resolutions are, by their nature, usually hard to keep.
It's kind of like thinking, briefly, to skip dessert at Christmas time.
Even so, a few “determinations” are worth considering, partly because of the long-term benefit.
I've discovered one of life's joy killers is the habit of nurturing regrets. Setting aside regrets would be worth considering as we move into 2011.
During Mom's last years, she sometimes commented on having regrets. She said she sometimes lay awake at night, thinking about things she regretted.
Since she almost lived a century, I figured she might have a few, but were they worth hanging onto? Were they worth losing sleep over?
As I looked at Mom’s life, indeed, as others looked at her life, we couldn’t help but wonder what she had done, or neglected to do, that robbed her of sleep in the middle of the night.
Risking discovery of some awful flaw in Mom, I asked her what regrets came to mind in the middle of the night. She instantly had one. Sit down before reading further.
Mom's first-to-the-mind regret concerned Galen Nelson and a Christmas program.
Mom was his Sunday School teacher. She taught the little “primary” children for much of her adult life. If Mom had developed lung problems, dust from cutting out and handling all those flannel graph figures for story times with those primary children would have been the culprit.
However, near the end of one of dozens of Christmas programs, Mom realized she had failed to get little Galen up to the platform to give his welcome piece. Her mistake crushed her.  
I'm sure he said his piece, he just said it late.
I know the family admired her. One of the tender letters we received after Mom's death was about how much Galen's sister liked Mom's class.
But Mom's failure to have Galen say his piece at the right time still bothered her when she was well into her 90s and Galen was old enough to be a grandfather himself.
I hope we helped Mom set aside that, and other regrets she sometimes let surface during the night. Her “humiliating” mistake was unintentional, but it was wore on her mind.
If we take time to ask what our regrets are, what easily comes to our minds?
Admittedly, some regrets need attention. Have we neglected to offer an apology, to make a correction, to own up to something? Let's deal with those rather than carry them into 2011.  
Some rooted regrets are so minor. They wrongfully rob us of energy needed for a new day. Why don't we break the hold old regrets have upon us?
After all, God is sovereign. Our past is not hidden and our future will not catch Him by surprise.
If regrets threaten our sleep, maybe Jesus' words could start 2011 right: Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Have a blessed new year.
Marge Warder is a freelance reporter and a columnist for the Red Oak Express. She can be contacted at mawarder@yahoo.com.