Happy New Year, Everyone!
2023 Reflection
2023 started off with illness, and contained a lot of it for our family! We ended the year recovering from COVID (2nd time in less than a year) which means we began this year in recovery too. Hoping that our immune systems will be stronger this year (please?!).
But in all seriousness, 2023 was a year filled with challenges and joys. Other than illnesses, we also had a lot of unexpected medical things pop up, though I suppose as a family of 7 (soon to be 8) that we have a higher chance of experiencing that now.
I started 2023 off with the intention on focusing on my writing, and for the first half of the year I did. I attended the Catholic Writers Guild virtual retreat in February, became a contributing writer for Catholic Mom Community in April, and started working on a project as well as try to write on here occasionally. The first half of the year I was focused and determined!
When summer came along, the kids and I visited my family for a few weeks, and by the time I came back, the routines I had established were gone and I also realized that my family needed more of my attention than I had been giving them. Trying to problem solve and get the kids ready to attend a new school took up a lot of my time and became the top priority, while my project and blog got cast aside. I wasn’t able to read as much either, and felt a little frustrated that I had no more time for myself.
Late October I found out I was pregnant, and morning sickness and fatigue hit right around the time I got the positive result. It was probably the sickest I’ve been, and I had no energy left. Then the holidays came and now it’s a new year. I had a word of the year last year, but I never really dived into it much other than the reflection I wrote at the beginning of the year. I did end up joining a kickboxing gym that I enjoy that provides free childcare (huge win!). That unfortunately means that I haven’t had much time for running recently, though I hope to get back to it this year.
Words for 2024
This year I used Jen Fulwiler’s word of the year and Saint of the year generator for fun, and I got the word, “hear” and Saint Francis Xavier. I really debated if I was going to keep them or not, and feel like it would be better to choose something I feel is on my heart instead. So, I am choosing 3 words of the year that go together. They are: hear, mercy, and grace.
I did decide to keep “hear” as one of my words, but in the sense of being able to listen and “hear” God’s call, or “hear” my children when they ask something of me (and I mean truly understanding where they are coming from). I chose mercy because I need to truly understand that God is merciful and that it is my role as a mother to show that mercy to my children. I chose grace because I am my own worst enemy and hold myself up to higher standards, even in situations where I really don’t have control. With a 6th baby coming, I know I need to give myself grace and to let things go.
I’m still not sure about what saint I will choose, or if I will choose one. I have several books on several different saints I am hoping to read, so maybe I will have several saints this year!
Goals for 2024
I have been thinking about goals in my head but never actually wrote any down. My first goal is to get our Christmas cards sent out to everyone! With the morning sickness and crazy schedule, I never got them sent out even though they have been at our house for the past month. (So if you normally get one from us, rest assured we didn’t forget about you, we just got behind!).
On a more serious note, I would like to get back to writing this year and make it a point to dedicate a little bit of time each day for myself to write. I am hoping I can write more for this blog again and take it a little further, a dream that I’ve had for awhile now. I am also determined to finish my project I started, and keep learning! I love to learn and I enjoy reading.
But mostly, I want to grow in my faith this year and grow closer to God. I feel like I was growing further from Him and losing joy in life. I have a bad habit of allowing stress to take over. This will be a year of searching for joy and finding the blessings God has given me. (Maybe I should add joy as a word too??)
I hope everyone’s new year is off to a good start. And if it’s not, remember that it doesn’t mean that all of 2024 is going to be bad. It’s never too late to start over!
What are your goals for this year? Do you have a word of the year or a saint of the year? Please share it with me!
