And so it begins...

It all began with a book...

 Renee and I needed a book to read for our little book club.  After some searching I chose, The Next Thing on My List  by Jill Smolinski.  The main character, June, was in an accident and her passenger, Marissa, was killed.  In the aftermath June discovered that Marissa had a list of 20 things she wanted to do before her next birthday.  Out of grief and the need to heal, June chose to complete Marissa's list for her.  The things on the list were way outside of June's comfort zone, and yet her life was changed as a result.  Renee and I loved the book!  It was funny...it was touching... I thought that was the end of it.

About a year later I decided to take the idea of making a list and completing it to a whole new level.  My three sisters and I get together twice a year for Sisters Weekend!  What a blast we have! I was thinking ahead to when it would be my turn to host and I remembered the book.  I decided that all of us sisters would make our own lists of 20 things we want to accomplish.  I had 6 months until the weekend, so I gave them a manila envelope containing dated envelopes to be opened each month.
October: Read the book.

November: Make your own list.

December: Complete one thing off your own list by the time you open the next envelope.

January:  Mail your list to the next sister.  When you get the sister's list, complete something off of HER list.

February:  Mail that list to the next sister and complete something off the list you received in the mail.

March: Mail that list to the next sister and complete something off the list you received in the mail this time.

 April:  Sisters Weekend!!  Bring the list with you so you can return the list to the original sister.  When April came, we had all completed at least 4 tasks.  We had an amazing time of discussing the book and more importantly, sharing about our experiences over the last 6 months.

Through this fun time of "listing", there have been many fun experiences and lessons along the way.  Hopefully this blog will encourage others to think about completing a list of their own.  Until next time...