This year has been the best...and the worst EVER. In my entire LIFE.
Most of this year has been one enormous struggle after another, and was consumed by financial struggle beginning to end. It's been uncomfortable, painful, and has created many sleepless nights.
As hard as it's been, however, I can also tell you 2013 has been the Year of Miracles.
There were days when I realized we had $4 to our name (with a family of four, an empty fridge and no gas in the car)....but we didn't panic because a check from a loving relative showed up to get us through another day.
Yeah, it's been that kind of a year.
But like I said....even more than the struggling and pain of what we have been going through, we have been blessed beyond measure!
The biggest blessing of all this year was getting to spend so much precious time with my new baby girl Zara. Zara was born on New Year's Eve, and every day is a joy to spend with her. Now that she's days away from being 1 year old, her personality is really shining through and she's absolutely hilarious!
She's gentle yet powerful, an old soul, and has a Yoda-like look in her eye that tells you she just "knows" things. She speaks with conviction, punctuation, and expression and has done so since she was 10 months old. Some of her gibberish is morphing into real words now, too. Words like "bye bye" and "banana".
She's an escape artist, getting past any barricade you create to go up the stairs, she could dance before she could walk, and she LOVES Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Her smile and laugh lights up my soul, and no level of despair could compete with such joyful moments.
She's kind of amazing.
Most of this year has been one enormous struggle after another, and was consumed by financial struggle beginning to end. It's been uncomfortable, painful, and has created many sleepless nights.
As hard as it's been, however, I can also tell you 2013 has been the Year of Miracles.
We have been rescued by friends, family members, and resources have shown up in the most random ways. We have witnessed miracle after miracle, have seen charity in action, and have been blessed beyond measure.
There were days when I realized we had $4 to our name (with a family of four, an empty fridge and no gas in the car)....but we didn't panic because a check from a loving relative showed up to get us through another day.
Yeah, it's been that kind of a year.
But like I said....even more than the struggling and pain of what we have been going through, we have been blessed beyond measure!
The biggest blessing of all this year was getting to spend so much precious time with my new baby girl Zara. Zara was born on New Year's Eve, and every day is a joy to spend with her. Now that she's days away from being 1 year old, her personality is really shining through and she's absolutely hilarious!
She's gentle yet powerful, an old soul, and has a Yoda-like look in her eye that tells you she just "knows" things. She speaks with conviction, punctuation, and expression and has done so since she was 10 months old. Some of her gibberish is morphing into real words now, too. Words like "bye bye" and "banana".
She's an escape artist, getting past any barricade you create to go up the stairs, she could dance before she could walk, and she LOVES Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Her smile and laugh lights up my soul, and no level of despair could compete with such joyful moments.
She's kind of amazing.
Most of the time, being wrapped up in all-things-baby has buffered me from the raw-ness of everything else. There have been meltdowns, breakdowns, and all-out brawls....but in the end, we still have a roof over our head, food to eat, lights are on, and we're still sticking together through it all.
I feel like this year truly tested me, and helped me see where I am strong and where I need to grow.
I can now see how I play it safe and where I need to step up and own the potential God gave to me. I'm ready to let go of the struggle and embrace the unknown as I follow my dreams.
Just as I got to experience the Year of Miracles in 2013, I hope 2014 becomes the Year of Living My Dreams and Enjoying Outrageous Success and Prosperity!
Stay tuned...