My Joy Is Boundless

My word for 2014 was devotion: a year of sinking in a little deeper, taking more time, slowing down, simplifying, becoming more comfortable with myself, falling deeper in love with my family, surrendering my heart and soul to the Lord and His plan for me.  Devotion.

I feel like this year was a giant one for me. I let go of a lot of insecurities and self doubts. I stripped away a lot of excess in my life and spent more time fine tuning the things (and people) that really matter. I fully committed myself and my family to living a healthy and active lifestyle. And I allowed myself the space to mess up, to fail every now and then, to be vulnerable.  I tried new things and really put myself out there.  I worked really hard but took the time to play as well.

This year, I set lots of goals and challenged myself to conquer new frontiers.  I learned how to run again. I cleaned out our kitchen and turned us into a clean eating family. I delved deeper into my yoga practice and made time for weekly meditation. And I lost 20 pounds as a result. I feel strong and proud of where my body has been and how far it has come today. I took that photography class I've been dreaming about for years and didn't even get mad at myself when I got busy and barely had time to use my real camera. I have plenty of time to practice in 2015. I started journaling again, doing lots of mind mapping and dream boarding and soul searching.

As a family, we got out and moved together: exploring, learning, experiencing everything we could. Together. We met new people, took on new traditions and ideas, and became a lot closer as a result. Spiritually, we have grown in ways I have hoped and dreamed of for years now. I devoted a lot of time and attention to my prayer life and experienced a sense of peace and serenity that I never knew existed. My spiritual growth resulted in less stress and anxiety and more thankfulness for the everyday. I am hoping for more and more of this growth in the new year.

Shawn and I fell very short of our goal for a monthly date night but we did go on LOTS of runs together, trading in dinner dates for late night back road adventures. We challenged each other in new ways and I am more in love with him than ever. He's always there for me, cheering me on, pushing me to go further, even when we're mad at each other. He's my person, my constant waiting at the finish line. It feels good to know that, to be able to trust in him, to trust in us.

                                         

This song defined 2014 for me, it was part of our family soundtrack, the background song to so many milestones and memories:

My joy is boundless
My soul knows its worth
In arms stretching wider
Than my heart could ever fall

Your word is final
Your name above all
The cross my reminder
Your love is forever
Cause here I am
Your love has got me up in arms again
And this hope won't let me go

Happy New Year!!  Cheers to new possibilities, fresh starts, putting ourselves out there and getting shit done!