Happy New Year! To be honest, it’s been pretty quiet around here lately and it’s been nice. We took a LOT of time over Christmas just being together and resting. Sleeping in, slow mornings, good food, lots of leftovers, laughter, and movies.
As we begin another year we’re spending a LOT of time praying, talking, planning, and dreaming.
About things, we want to accomplish this year like purging, painting, and reorganizing a couple of areas. Things we want to add to the homestead and ways we want to expand it and make it better suit us now. Then there are the business ideas. Ways we want to grow what we already have and make it better. And then there are big dreams. Talking about where we see ourselves in 5 years and what we can do to begin moving in that direction. And I just have to say that I’m excited about a LOT of the things we’ve talked about. I can’t wait to get to work!
Normally at the end of December, I begin thinking about what I want to work on in the next year and finalizing my goals, and theme. As I started thinking about 2022 I knew that I really wanted to move toward specific goals while also building on the last two years; continuing to trust God more building on who I feel He’s called me to be and what He’s called me to do.
I tried to toss around a couple of songs and phrases but nothing felt right. I honestly thought about *not* having a word or phrase or theme.
I’m sick of putting so much pressure on myself to be a certain way or accomplish so much by a given time. I want to quit striving for a picture-perfect “normal” life. I’ve done that for so long and quite honestly, it’s stressful; and I’m tired of stressing out over little things that in the grand scheme of life don’t really matter. I really just want to embrace the life that I have right in front of me!
So, after some more thought, prayer, and discussion I chose one word for the year. A word that pretty much sums up everything I want to do this year!
Growth!
This year I want to grow. Grow closer to God and deepen my relationship with Him and learn to trust Him more! Physically, I want to grow healthier, stronger, and I want to learn to relax and quit thinking about work all the time and trying to figure out how to make this or that work better constantly. If I could grow a few inches taller, that’d be nice too!
We’ve learned a lot more about homesteading in the last year. I want to learn more, be outside more (Once it gets above freezing). I want to be helping out more. Weeding the garden, staying on top of harvesting and preserving. We’ve talked about adding honey bees, meat birds, and possibly meat rabbits (the 6 rabbits that we have right now provide fertilizer). I want to be more involved in this; growing, learning, and doing.
In the last couple of years, I’ve become a little more flexible. I’ve gotten a little better at embracing the life that I live. Of accepting where it is God has placed me and who He’s given me. And though I’m far from perfect, I’m finding more and more that as I lean into the lifestyle that is right in front of my nose and really live life I want more of it…
“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
~2 Peter 3:18
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
Good for you! We all need to continue to grow, no matter what our age. My new work with the Bellefontaine church has done amazing things to re-energize my spirit.