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Intentional


Nothing about this holiday season went as planned.

We started the stomach flu in our family of six a couple days before Christmas and it finally took down the last person a week later. It was exhausting but also forced a major slow down, in a good way.

Traditions got pushed aside to make room for illness, plans were cancelled, all expectations of holiday celebrations went out the window.

There was a time when this would have destroyed me.

Several years ago, my plans for New Years Eve were cancelled due to a snow storm. I pouted and cried, I believe I may have even wailed "Why Me?" and I know for certain that I made the evening miserable for my husband. All because my expectations had been set too high and I couldn't see what was still possible.

I don't know if it's age, experience, maturity, or a glorious combination, but this holiday had all the makings of an epic temper tantrum, yet it never happened.

I wasn't Mother Teresa, let's be real, but I sort of just rolled with it. When the first kid got sick, I just adjusted, and the next and the next and the next.

Somehow, miraculously, it all was just fine.

Christmas still came.

The world did not end.

Time moves on, whether we are sick, ready, sad, happy, or otherwise.

As we head into the new year, I am sitting at my desk, with my hair and makeup all fancy, just to stay at home. We are finishing up the stomach bug, so we won't be going out.

I have painted the girls' fingernails, we put on dresses, we made classic junk food snacks (for those of us who are up to eating) and we will watch movies and be together.

I do not set goals for the New Year. That feels way too much like expectations, but I like the idea of choosing a word for the year. A theme to set the tone for the year ahead.

Intentional.

Thats the word that kept coming to mind as I tried to make the most of the time we did have with family and friends over the past week. I knew we wouldn't make it to many get togethers, so the ones that we did get to, I wanted to really be present and enjoy it. I was intentional about the time spent.

It felt really good.

It felt quiet.

It felt comforting.

It felt right.

Happy New Years friends!



P.S. The first year.

The second year.

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