Have you ever been sad about a year being over? I’m not sure I have, until this year. 2014 was a big year for our little family.
I know I have so much to catch you up on and I can’t wait to do just that. Logging in to write this post made me smile. I have missed you all. We moved and have been unpacking and traveling to see family for Christmas. It’s been crazy busy, as I’m sure your holiday season has been as well. There are lots of things ahead that I am excited about. I can’t wait to get back into our school routine, making this house our home, slowing down this pace of life, hanging with new friends, traveling to see family, and so much more.
In all the excitement, I can’t help but be a little sad that such a special year is over. 2014 was a year our family embarked on new ways of life together. We became a foster family and experienced the love of Christ in a new way as we poured into the little lives in our home. One little boy stole our hearts, and we are finding the term family means more than who we share blood with or who lives under our roof. We found Jesus in a new, fresh way. We found ourselves desperate for a Savior and needed him to fill us with a strength, peace, and love that only he could.
As a family we had lots of milestones. One of the biggest is we moved from Georgia to Indiana to follow a path we feel Jesus has set before us. We sold a house, moved, bought another house, changed jobs, started new jobs, said goodbye to family and friends, and started putting ourselves out there in a new community.
Our baby is about to turn four and is no longer a baby. We gave away the rest of our baby gear in the move which ended a chapter in our lives as the baby days are behind us. Our oldest is a fabulous reader and loves sports. (He’s planning on being the next Julio Jones) Our second learned to swim and ride a bike without training wheels. All three kids just seem to have grown up.
As I reflect on all the changes, I remember my word for the year was SHINE. It was constantly in the back of my mind. I did not do it perfectly, but I feel like I kept trying to empty myself and shine a love much greater than mine. It was a special year and one that has marked our family. Although the year is over, I know that word will carry with me for a lifetime. It’s a lifestyle that I want to try to always live.
2014 is over, but I know God is just beginning something new with us. Although I am a little sad to see it go, I am excited to think about what 2015 will hold. We are in a new state, town, church, and neighborhood. We have each other and are following a calling and are on a path created for us. We are so blessed.
In a season of lots of change, I don’t want to lose that calming voice that speaks to my soul. I need Jesus just as much now as ever before.
My new word for this coming year is QUIET.
To be a better mom, I need to get up while the house is still QUIET.
To be a better friend and wife, I need to be a better listener. If I talk a little less and be a little more QUIET, I will hear more of those I love dearly.
My anxious heart is always thinking of the next thing, and I just want to whisper to it-be QUIET. Be present where you are in person as well as in your mind.
I want to hear that still small voice of my Savior in my heart, so I will find ways to be QUIET to hear him more loudly than ever.
In all the noise and pulls of my heart, I want to remember what is important and what matters most. I need to QUIET some distractions and learn some balance.
My heart soars when I get outdoors in nature and just be QUIET and enjoy the creation of the master creator. I need to do that more.
I’m excited to start thinking through my days with this little word running through my head. Do you come up with goals or new years resolutions? Do you have one little word that you use for your year too? I would love to hear what it is! Please leave me a comment. Change can be hard, but it is also exciting to think that everyday we can learn and grow and be a new and better version of ourselves, if we are just open to it. I have some ideas that I can’t wait to start implementing to help me break habits and have a more quiet heart. Let’s encourage one another and those around us to use our imaginations and not give up on ourselves or those around us. 2015 will be great!
Thank you so much for walking this journey with me! I am so excited to continue to share our story with you as well as my creations in 2015. I’m sure it will be as crazy and exciting as ever!
Ps. I will slowly be filling my store back up with my creations. If you are interested in this hoop, I just listed it here. Thank you for all your support!
Summer is here for us. I found myself last week with a huge sense of freedom when Caleb had his last day. As a homeschool mom, my life just got simpler. I am so excited about summer.
We still have our foster son. It looks like he may be with us till the fall. We are constantly reminded how this all changes so quickly. As a planner, someone who likes to know what to expect, and hates surprises…this is one of the hardest aspects of being a foster parent to me. I am learning and this stretching of me, I know, is ultimately growing me.
As school was wrapping up, I started to find more little windows to craft. Hoops are still the easiest thing to do for me, as I sit on the couch at night with my husband and sew while we talk and watch shows.
I hope summer is coming at a needed time for you as well. I pray this summer we find rest and a beautiful rhythm of how to do life. It is a constant balance act, right?
Thank you so much for being on this journey of life with us! If you are interested in any of these hoops, I have just listed them in my 
As an inward processor, journaling has always been an important part of me working through my thoughts and emotions. I’m finding it’s much harder these days to capture the time I would like to journal well. Rather than just giving up, I’ve decided to try and capture key words and phrases on my art that can help me to process, refocus, and remind me of the things I want my life to be about. These past few weeks I’ve been using my embroidery hoops as a way to create an Embroidery Journal of sorts.
I am still so far from “nailing it” and I know I will never be perfect. I need re-centering on what seems like an hourly basis. But, it was the moment that I was raw, admitted that I cannot do anything on my own, and gave God full control of my life, he said “now I am ready to use you”. I’d like to believe that I’ve “landed the plane” on this one, but I’m guessing this is a lesson I will continually need to relearn.
I have a peace. I am relying on a strength that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am praying for perspective and love that surpasses all the tired, draining moments. We are adjusting to being new foster parents and shepherding our three littles plus our new foster son’s heart as all of their worlds have been flipped upside down.
Thank you for caring about our journey through this life.
I pray you are able to use your life to SHINE today! Happy weekend friends.