Skip to main content

Goodbye 2018, you were a gem!

This is it! What wasn't written remains in darkness. What wasn't done remains undone... Do I remain unchanged?  FAR FROM IT! 2018 was, for lack of a better word, a gem. These past twelve months I have gotten to know myself and our family in such a brand new light; the light of Christ. We have laughed, cried, learned and loved each other enough to last a lifetime; and there's way more where it all came from.

We've struggled, too. Individually and as a whole, like everyone struggles with day-to-day life. I have days where, mentally, I'm far from where I consciously wish I was. Call it poor planning, poor time management, financial strain, pregnant brain, hormones, anxiety... it doesn't matter. I don't know a single person who doesn't have an "off" day here and there. But, in my own way I have endured; and I have so much hope for the future.

That's what the new year is for, right? HOPE?! In reality it's nothing more than "tomorrow", nothing bigger than "the next day of the week", just a simple Tuesday. Yet, we have managed to turn it into something so magnificent that carries so much weight in our lives. The weight of dreams, goals, the hope of better things, even different things.  It's almost like it all hangs on that one day, tomorrow...New Years Day, 2019. I am fascinated by it already.


This year was hard, but I think every year is.  We grow, we evolve, we adapt, face new challenges, encounter brand new joys and adventures; and it's all LIFE. It's not always easy, and it's not always pretty and sometimes it hurts to the core. I personally wouldn't have it any other way, though. These challenges, bends in the road and tumbles help me grow, they help me learn about myself and my family. Every single curve ball reminds me to be grateful for those around me who catch my fall or help me up. Every "hiccup" helps me turn to my Savior for His guidance and counsel. Considering our journey through 2018 I can only sense that 2019 will be even more challenging as we continue to grow as a family and evolve in our individual roles.

I've had this tiny book for ages and every time I de-clutter I refuse to let it go.  It's a collection of quotes about love, written by scholars, writers and even anonymous. This past week I kept staring at it on my bookshelf, pondering about the insight each quote brings.  You treasure what you love; you keep it, care for it; you hope and wait for it. I want to approach 2019 in this light. Wolfman Jack says "Love is not a matter of counting the years - it's making the years count." and Jan Noha believes that "With love, it's better to live even the simple, ordinary day."  With this new insight, I just can't wait to start to live 2019; enjoy it, treasure it, fight about it, cry about it and LOVE IT! I love the life we are building, the gospel it is set upon and the memories we create each day.  I'm already so grateful for all of it.

My 2019 be everything you hope and dream for. May it bring you and your family joy, wonder and lots of LOVE. HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2019!!!!

*book: Love is Beautiful Thing, Compiled by Esther Beilenson ©2000


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I am 1 in 10.

It's 2019, the "future" we were all expecting to witness with flying cars and magical ovens that can turn a tiny pill into an entire meal.  Technology is advancing, indeed, but are we all falling behind as a species? Holding on to culture and tradition, embracing the "old ways" for whatever reason? Afraid to discuss important topics because they are "taboo"? Even among some of our favorite and closest friends, there's still some things we are not willing to discuss, and as I enter "adulthood", mind you I will be 34 soon, I marvel at how "touchy" some topics are and how all I want is to rip the veil and embrace and discuss and wonder! I have never talked about my journey with endometriosis, but since Julianne Hough has become a voice and advocate for the condition I've been brainstorming how to go about telling my story.  I am 1 in 10 women officially diagnosed with this not-so silent condition that takes a tol

How To: Do it All.

 Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.               - Goethe I'm 33 and I never imagined I would be able to live "a life by design" working from home, doing what I love and finding time to do the things I like. This is not a sales pitch, some people love the comfort of having job security in a corporate world and the benefits that come from it.  I grew up with parents who spent a lifetime working 8 to 5pm for the same company; y dad (R.I.P) had a heart attack in his office, undoubtedly caused by the strain of too much work and not enough living. So, for me, getting up to work a full-time job with 1 hour for lunch plus time for commute is more than just unappealing; it's simply NOT AN OPTION. I've referenced Instagram's Ask Me a Question story "gif" before.  A few weeks ago someone asked "What do you do for work?" I laughed out loud as I pondered how to best answer that question in a short

Chronicles of Motherhood - Part 2

Happy mom, happy baby! No? April 26, 2019. "It's 7am on MY BIRTHDAY woo hoo!  My contractions are 5-3 minutes apart, but I am not dilated enough. Still at 2 cm. Michael and I have been in the maternity ward of Celebration Hospital since 11pm last night. He's asleep on the recliner. My mother arrived 1 hr ago. She's asleep on the couch. I thought this would be over by now. I'm always waiting the longest for everything!" - excerpt from Notes app on the phone. I always seem to wait the longest for things that other people get around to doing much earlier than me in their life. If you struggle with anxiety you know how it is, overthinking everything, over-worrying and keeping busy thinking and analyzing things instead of actually doing. I guess it's one way to explain why I'm 34 and having my first child. I mean, there's so many reasons... But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about Elijah Michael; a handsome 9 lbs baby boy