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Friday, December 16, 2016

Wrapping gifts and wrapping up the year.

I am done wrapping Christmas and birthday gifts.  All three kids have birthdays this next week – phew!  But, I’m also wrapping up the year – and reflecting.

As 2016 is coming to a close, I don’t even know how to wrap my head around it.  This year has been filled with some of the most intense and scary struggles of my life – and some of the biggest blessings.  Some days I felt like we hit rock bottom and could barely get through the day.  But 90% of the time, our days were filled with purpose, plans of action, dreams, blessings and most importantly – unconditional love.  Love is what gets us through the hard times.  Love for ourselves.  Love for one another.
 
My life isn’t perfect – far from it.  Sometimes I wonder why things happen to me.  Why did this happen?  How did we get here?  Was it to make me learn a lesson?  Am I being asked to simply appreciate what was given to me and what I have?  Was it to make me slow down?  Am I proving to myself that I'm a devoted spouse or a dedicated mother?  I often find that the struggle is what makes me truly appreciate the good in each day.  Kind of like when I run a marathon …. If miles 22-24 are excruciating, I collect myself and get a second-wind at mile 25.  I pace myself and finish the race out strong with a smile on my face.  When you’re running a race and struggling, do you turn around and run the other direction or just stand there?  No.  You move forward.  You get through it.  That hard stuff is hard.  Like, really hard.  But closing in on the finish line is so rewarding – not just because I ran twenty-six miles … but, I made it through the hard stuff.  And I left that stuff behind me.

The holidays seem to bring hard times upon us.  Often.  If you are going through a difficult time right now – I promise it will get better.  Sometimes we just need to fall down or trip a little in order to make the race of life a little more humbling.  We need to believe in ourselves and make adjustments to what we've been dealt, take one mile and one day at a time and surround ourselves with our support crew.
Thank you for being a part of my year this year.
Don’t fear moving forward.  Fear standing still.

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