And poof…just like that the holidays are over and we have begun a new year.
It’s a new year and a new chapter in our books of life. How will our stories go?
I know I try to grow a little more every single year! I glance back at the year before and count my many blessings and take a hard look at my lessons. I use my blessings to keep my faith strong and to help me stay grateful & focused, and I use my lessons to keep me humble and to help me evaluate and adjust my life accordingly.
This last year was filled with so many beautiful blessings for my family and I. We went on our first family vacation, camped most of the summer, met many amazing new people, started homeschooling our two youngest boys, our oldest son started his senior year of high school, we made some amazing memories to cherish, I started my new Thrive business that I am soooo passionate about and grateful for, I was a full time caretaker for my husband while he was home for several months healing and our marriage and family grew stronger than ever, we started mending some severely broken fences, our holidays were full of joy, love, peace, and blessings, and the list goes on…. Needless to say our blessings were plentiful and we are truly grateful for every one of them!
Our lessons were many as well! I’ve learned that I love deeply, but not everyone will love me back, I am loyal to a fault, but some people are just not capable of being loyal back, that I am always growing stronger in my faith and as a wife, mother, and person, that my expectations of others are sometimes unrealistic and unfulfilled expectations hurt, that I am not defined by what people say or think about me or by my past, that people who have been absent from our lives have been hurting just as much as we were, that my wounds and scars have finally healed, that true forgiveness is a necessity and is easy for me, but forgetting is extremely hard, that I have to let the past heal…not hurt, and most importantly to LET GO AND LET GOD!
Life and people are unpredictable, but it’s your choice on how you respond! Your choices predict your consequences, so be certain to choose your battles wisely! Life is always what you make of it…so will you choose to be blind, bitter, and negative, or will you choose peace, happiness, love, and gratitude?
I recite this often…
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference!
Here’s my list to help guide me through my positive changes this year:
- Always pray
- Count your blessings
- Let go & let God
- Spend time with God daily
- Adjust your priorities accordingly
- Let your scars teach you their lessons
- Cherish and love those who love you and make time for you & love and forgive those who don’t
- Heal…don’t dwell
- Never give up…always get back up, dust yourself off, and try again
- Keep your faith in God stronger than anything else
- Let God lead you!
- Take those little leaps of faith to change what you need and want to
- Set your goals and dreams high and work hard to achieve them
- Do not worry about the little things and cherish the simple things!
- Never take anyone or anything for granted
- Always be proud of who God made you to be, no one’s approval is needed, except for His!
- Forgive….If God can give us grace, who are we not extend grace to ourselves and to others?
As we embark on our next chapter of our books of life, let’s be certain to write a good chapter! Unexpected blessings and lessons are inevitable, but always count your blessings and learn from your lessons. Keep growing to be better you!
Have faith that the best is yet to come!
I pray that 2016 brings you much growth, happiness, love, and God’s blessings.
May you always have enough and always be grateful for the blessings you have!
Love & Blessings to you….
