New Year's Inspiration Jar

I like the hopeful feeling I get when I start something new. Although I haven't been to school in years, I still get an anything-is-possible, back-to-school feeling each September. I even like Mondays because they give me a chance to make a new start each week. When it comes to fresh starts, New Year's is the biggest day of the year. I try not to ruin it by making a bunch of resolutions that I know I won't keep. Instead, I like to think of ways I can be a better person (ok, and maybe exercise more).

I am a collector of quotes, prayers, and poems that I find inspiring, and I think I've finally found a way to make them part of my daily life. I printed 52 of these sentiments from my computer, cut them out, folded them, and put them in a jar. My plan is to pull one out each Monday and use it for guidance that week. There are some scripture verses in the mix, but also Irish proverbs, Beatles lyrics, and quotes from Confucius and Francis of Assisi. I originally planned to make this a quote-a-day project, but I quickly realized that 365 is a lot of quotes. If your own quote collection is shy of 52, you can visit these websites for inspiration: Brainy Quote, Quote Garden, Goodreads.

As craft projects go, my New Year Inspiration Jar is pretty basic, but I did dress it up a bit so it doesn't get lost on my shelves by February. I made a label by cutting leaf shapes from three different neutral papers and layering them. I attached a metal eyelet to each end and tied the label to the jar with twine. I was going to write "Quote of the Week" on the label, but I decided to use a line from the Rule of St. Benedict instead: "Always we begin again." A good way to start off the New Year, don't you think?