My word for 2013 was Cultivate and here are some of the ways I applied that theme:
Janie's blessing day.
Jane's first swimming pool experience and live theatrical performance!
I was very pleased with Jane at the Playmakers Production of The Wizard of Oz. She watched and listened to the music with perfect attention and even clapped when something exciting happened! It was real cute.
We planted our first garden this year and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!
We were blessed with a bountiful harvest.
I made almost all of Jane's baby food out of veggies from our own garden!
Our first camping trip!
I'm super proud of my milk supply. I was able to breastfeed until December 13th, a full month past my goal and Jane had stored breast milk until after Christmas!
I love this guy. He really is wonderful! I owe a great deal of my happiness to him!
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The thing about Cultivating something is that it’s slow, gradual, and sometimes painstakingly laborious, but in reference to my previous analogy, suddenly you look out the back door and see vegetables sprouting everywhere! That is how I felt this year! Sometimes, as with some of my relationships, I didn’t even recognize all the work and effort I had been applying until I suddenly reaped the sweet reward and felt deeply humbled and grateful for what I didn’t even know I had been missing before. Some of these experiences are too personal and precious to share here, but know that the Cultivation of relationships had a tender, lovely influence on my life this year.
As I look to the new year, I anticipate some potentially difficult times coming, especially in the Fall. While I’m preparing myself for the inevitability of change, I’ve decided to focus on others. Following the garden analogy I’ve been working from, after seeds have been planted (creating an Increase), nourished, and Cultivated the next logical step is to pick, gather, and enjoy the fruits of labor. Well, if you’ve ever grown a garden you know that there is never enough time, recipes, belly space, and freezer storage to contain it all, and so you Give it away!
This year my theme is Give. I want to share my time, talents, compassion, service, and means with others. I also, especially in the gloomy month of January, want to Give to myself. I want to Give more understanding, time, and especially compassion to myself this year. I expect a lot from myself and sometimes I think it need to literally,
Give me a break.
2013 will be tough to beat, but as I focus on Giving, I welcome 2014 with open arms and a grateful heart for all it has to teach me!
