New Year, New Word

We drove all day New Years Eve and made it home in time to ring it in with friends. I don't remember a time when I was more looking forward to a new year, a clean slate, a fresh start. 2014 was fraught with challenges but a lot of beauty sprung up as a result. I can see now how so many difficult and often painful experiences shaped me in positive ways, changed how I'll go forward from here on out. I'm ready for a fresh start but the first step to any new beginning is making peace with what came before. I think I finally have.

While we were gone, we had our dining room painted. It was lovely to come home to freshly painted white walls, all untouched and pure. I spent the majority of the evening telling the kids not to touch/bump/wack the walls, but I know that they will be touched. Dirtied. Chipped and worn. It's simply the nature of things here in this busy little house with busy little people. It reminded me of how a new year feels - fresh and clean and untouched at the beginning, but by the end marked by life. Experience. People. In good ways and not so good ways, but always because life happened. I can't think of a better reason.

I wrestled with coming up with a word for this year. Even thought of scrapping the entire idea because I couldn't narrow it down. I have so many hopes and goals and dreams for the coming months, but also a pretty good idea of how human I am. I know there are so many steps between where I am today and where I want to be, and some of my ideas for words seemed to get the cart before the horse, or else not encompass my vast array of concentrations for this year. I finally happened upon it and everything just fell into place. The more I thought on it, the more it fit.

This year, my word is Purpose. As a creative, discipline is not second nature to me. I'm more organic and natural in my approach to life, but that kind of waiting around for inspiration deal sees me wasting quite a bit of time, or spinning my wheels. There is so much that I want to accomplish in my personal life and beyond, but I know the very first step is to establish a finite purpose.

In 2015, I want to nourish with purpose -

My relationships with my family and friends, but most especially my children.

My spiritual life - by making more time for it.

My writing - setting specific goals and meeting them.

I want to grow in all of these areas and more, but first I need to find and name the purpose I'm seeking for each of them.  I need to take the time to discover exactly what is needed where and how to fit that into what seems like an already full life.

So, for this year - purposeful living. Family. Faith. Creativity.

I'm so looking forward to this!

Happy New Year to all of you - I can't wait to see what this year brings.

{If you'd like to check out the most-read posts from 2014, head over the my facebook page where I'll be sharing them!}