Thoughts...

I have had a lot of things on my mind lately... I don't know if it is the ending of a year & a beginning of a new year. It makes you feel a little refreshed! As we have moved into our little rental house I have been doing a lot of de-junking... after having a majority of our stuff in storage for the last year you really see the things that you can live without! I have been making multiple trips to the DI each week & it has felt really good to get rid of the excess... to simplify! I have found the same with my life... I tend to let it get cluttered...

The week of Christmas our family got some news that a friend - really he is so much more than that - was sick... Really sick. And after you are done crying & then done being mad you start to re-group. You start to take inventory of the things that truly matter in your life. I learned this lesson with Travis's accident - but, was reminded of it again: not to take the people and things that matter most for granted. And as I was running around like crazy the week before Christmas trying to get all of things done that I thought I needed to get done... this news stopped me dead in my tracks. Suddenly it all didn't matter. Suddenly the art project that Carter had been wanting to get done for a week or the new Wii game that McKay was wanting my help with... those things or I should say that "time" with my boys became most important. Because as I have seen all to clearly in my life - one moment everything is wonderful & the next it might not be. And in that latter moment you are hoping, praying & wishing for a few more moments. So, I have decided that it's time to de-junk my life. To get rid of the clutter that takes those moments away. It is about the art projects, the moments of playing Super Mario Brothers with McKay & watching and laughing as he jumps all over the place with Mario! It is about rocking Cannon just a little bit longer or playing out in the snow with the boys instead of watching them as I clean the kitchen. The kitchen can wait. It's about Carter missing his afternoon nap and cuddling with me in my bed as we watch Rocky together... it's about checking McKay out of school early to go skiing or letting Cannon completely empty the fridge while I am making dinner!

Cancer runs in my family. There is a very good chance that I will one day be the one that is sick... I know people don't like to think about it or talk about it. But, I am. I am addressing it now. I don't want to look back and wish that I had made time for more moments... time goes by too quickly anyway. But, I am going to make more moments in the time that i do have. I am going to de-junk! De-junk the clutter that takes away from my family. So, I will warn you now - if you stop by and my kitchen isn't at it's cleanest I really don't care! I'm not even going to apologize!

Each year instead of making New Year's resolutions I do something a little different. I choose a word (or word's) that I want to live by for the next year. This year my word's are "simplify" & "quality". They may seem a little random to you! But, to me they mean that if I can cut out the junk and "simplify" my life it will open up more time to spend on the things & with the people that matter the most. And it will allow that time to be more "quality" - to live more in the moment. I have spent some time making a list of the things that I want to do with my family this year, the things that I want to teach my boys, the things that I want to accomplish as a family. I think all to often people are to busy and run around like crazy & don't have much to show for their time. Next year I don't want to wonder where the time went... I want to have memories, moments & goals that are accomplished to show for it. The first step is to simplify...

I wish you all a New Year full of joy. What ever your joy might be! May you and your loved one's be healthy & happy. I know well enough that we will not all make it through this next year with out our highs and lows... with out heartache along with the joy. It is my prayer that in difficult times we will be blessed with strength & peace. And in the moments of joy we will have grateful hearts. I thank you all for your love and support! Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: Yes, I know that I am a OCD clean freak! And having a dirty kitchen will be difficult for me to over come! I do not plan on letting my clean house go! I just plan on cleaning it when my family is a sleep! Thank goodness for naps & a husband & children who go to bed early!!!