Happy Monday, friends!

Each month on the 11th, I post an article for a group called Moms Encouraging Moms. It has been such a treat to be a part of this group of women. This past Saturday, I posted the post below, and I really wanted to share it here as well.

Enjoy!

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Happy New Year, friends! Happy New Decade!

On New Years Eve, Harlan told me that in the new decade he would be going off to college. So, excuse me if I have been crying mama tears off and on ever since. Bless his sweet little heart. Ugh!

One tradition that my family of four started going into 2019 was finding ONE word that was going to be the theme of the new year. You have to pick your word, and then explain how you will manage this new theme of your life.

It started out as a fun conversation around the fire pit, but turned into being a meaningful conversation about life and the goals we set for ourselves.

Of course, we still have our normal resolutions. Harlan has a resolution that he won’t talk back or be sassy and Jackson claims he will finally find a vegetable that he likes this year. Here’s to hoping both of those are realities!

And, Reid and I have the usual weight loss and financial goals we add on every year. Last year we started Whole 30 in January, and Reid was so successful that he did it in 4 days. Ha! Doesn’t usually work out for us.

But, the word. The ONE word. That is our newest tradition.

For me, it helped define where I needed to be.

You see, 2017 broke me. Broke me. I lost one baby girl at 5 months pregnant, one baby boy at 3 months, and then decided to close up shop for good with Reid’s vasectomy. 2017 broke me.

2018 worked to truly heal me, and I knew that I needed a word going into 2019 that defined my journey and would allow myself even more healing and growth.

So, my word of 2019 was WORK. Boring right? I know. But, it sounded great sitting around the fire pit after a glass of wine! 😉

So, in 2019 I worked on myself. I worked on my faith. I worked on my health. I worked on continuing to heal my heart. I worked on growing my blog. And, I worked on dreaming big again.

Here is the thing about working . . . especially in your faith. God starts putting big dreams in your heart. HUGE! Like, how the heck is that going to happen kind of dreams. And, with those dreams came a ton of fear.

You see, I am not a fan of being out of my comfort zone. I have been in sales a time or two in my life, and I was HORRIBLE at it. I don’t want to bother anyone. I just want to sit over here in my lane, smile, and be happy. So, God pushing me out of this comfort zone with lots of big ideas scared me to death. Suddenly my word of 2019 was not my favorite.

I did a lot of thinking going into 2020 about what my word was going to be this year. I contemplated FEAR because mama is scared of jumping off a couple of cliffs over here, but I thought that sounded weak.

SO . . . my word for 2020 is STRENGTH! My goal is that the theme of my life in 2020 will be strength in all aspects of my life.

I will get stronger physically – maybe run another 5K?!? Maybe work on getting those arm muscles to appear for the first time since high school?

I will get stronger emotionally and let those broken “what if” moments from 2017 roll off my back a little better as they get fewer and far between.

I will get stronger in my faith as I trust God in the path and journey he has chosen for me. Creating a community for women dealing with infertility and loss is not a WHY I would have chosen for myself, but as I trust God on this path, I am seeing the love and beauty in all of our stories. And, I always thank you for sharing them with me.

And, finally, I will be stronger in my professional life. Oh, y’all. I have some exciting things going on over here, career-wise. But, I am fearful of walking out of my comfort zone and jumping off of that cliff. I overcame that debilitating fear when I launched Lunchbox Babies in spring of 2018, so I know that I will do it again. But, friends. Not a fan of the fear! Would rather pour a glass of wine, snuggle up with my crew, and watch a movie. I will be strong.

What is your word of 2020? What will the theme be for your life this new year? This new decade?

I challenge you to sit down with your family and find your word. Find a word for just yourself, or find a word for your family.

Let me know what word you choose! You guys always inspire me, so I can’t wait to get the comments, texts, and messages!

Have a great week!
XO