There weren't any huge events or breakthroughs in my personal life this year. I have been living with my daughter for a whole year now. Amazingly, we get along quite well, and I only pull the mommy voice out once in awhile. We've had our share of struggles this year with finding and keeping employment, and the day to day can be pretty stressful that way. But we keep going. We have some good support from family and friends, and our faith keeps us strong and moving forward.
Personal growth and healing has been the focus of much of my year. I am the classic cautionary tale of burning the candle at both ends, trying to be super-mom, and thinking that my body could handle anything I put it through. Well, it "handled" it alright; I have some chronic health problems, adrenal stress, weight gain, arthritis and fibromyalgia to deal with. I have finally managed to learn how to sleep in. Even though I still get up in the night, I am able to sleep quite well from 11 pm to 7 or 7:30 am. That is a major accomplishment! I really enjoy feeling the benefits of sleep, and I'm quite protective now of my sleep time, as well as my meditation/nap time in the afternoon. Applying principles of the Law of Attraction is also a welcome part of my day. I spent so many years running- literally- through the daylight hours and neglecting my need for spiritual connection and a respite from the demands of my life! Lately I've been on a mission to let my children all know that they need to take time for themselves and nourish their bodies and spirits. A good many things occcurred in my parenting years that I am not proud of, and I think if I had just slowed down and had a more introspective outlook, some of the difficulties in our lives might have been avoided.
So for 2015, it's Onward and Upward! I intend to continue to improve my health, work in my doTERRA business, keep everything going here at home and reach out with love to those around me. This past year, I learned how to be grateful; not a small thing to become aware of! I had an amazing experience a week ago where I was filled to the brim with an understanding of all I had to be grateful for, and it was very holy and special to me to be able to spend the better part of three days feeling that level of gratitude and love. The truth is, they go hand in hand. Ungrateful people- and I have been one from time to time- cannot express and show love in ways others can receive it. Those who genuinely love others are able to do so because they understand and live in gratitude for who people are and in their desires to love and serve. These are concepts I hope my children have figured out, even though I wasn't a very good example of them all the time. I am extremely grateful that I have grown in these, even if it is after my children are grown. I am grateful for the opportunity to reach out, to acknowledge what I have realized, and to change the example I have set.
This has been a wintery week. We have snow on the ground, and it is the coldest we've had since last winter. We took down the Christmas tree and decorations, but left up the lights, because that is such a comfort to me. I struggle with the darkness and the cold, and at this point, I'm reminding myself that April is just four months away! I can't count on March around here; we often get our worst snow storms that month!
I suppose it is unfair to say that nothing of note has happened this year. As I write and think, many things come back to my memory. What looks small to one is huge to another, I guess. I do want to mention our miracle; one of our creditors totally absolved our debt to him! It wasn't large in common terms, but for us it was a huge amount, and it was very unexpected to get his call and tell us our balance was $0. It took several minutes for the reality to really sink in, and I found myself without the words to thank him effectively. God will bless that man for his generosity and kindness. If I ever get the chance to bless him, I will gladly do so!
We celebrated our traditional "12 Days" the best we could this year. Service to others is something my children are known for, and I have always wanted them to have generous hearts, no matter how much or how little they had. We had a good time sharing and surprising, making and including our friends and neighbors in our Christmas this year. Our Christmas Eve giving to each other was sweet, and we all enjoyed a very relaxing Christmas Day. I read 5 Richard Paul Evans books! Granted, he's an easy read and the stories are not complex, but it was fun just to read and snack and enjoy the day here at home without fuss and expectations. I do miss having little ones around, but for this year, it was a perfect day.
I hope as everyone readies for the New Year, that your memories are sweet and precious, and that you also are able to plan and prepre for the days to come. Sometimes it seems like the world is changing fast, and other times, it seems to slow to a crawl. Whatever season of life you find yourself in, I hope you have joy. I wish everyone a blessed and prosperous 2015, and thank you for reading and letting me share my life with you!
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