an end of the year check in...

Happy almost New Year! December has flown by, and for me the holiday season was filled with some pretty high moments and a few low moments... My husband and I got to video chat with our newly adopted nephews on Christmas for the first time, which was awesome and the highlight of my holiday (the video my brother in law sent the next day of his youngest son talking about talking to us, saying our names over and over really was my favorite moment of the season- can't wait to go visit those boys). Alas, the season was not without it's generally expected familial issues (we all have those, especially around the holidays!) and I am making sure to take extra good care of my heart these days, to help deal with a little bit of the sadness some of my family can make me feel. BUT! this is not meant to be a sad post. It is a happy time, a time of renewal and fresh starts and asking ourselves the question "how does _____ serve us?" It is a time to assess our lives, and how we are living them, and how well we are taking care of ourselves and our loved ones and the world. I am a huge fan of fresh starts and rituals, and many of you know I have a serious love for house cleaning (don't judge), so of course I spend Dec 30th and 31st cleaning cleaning cleaning! I love feeling fresh and new for the New Year- get all those cobwebs out of your house and your mind so you can move forward with a clean slate. Reflecting on where we came from and accepting where we currently are in our lives is a big part of being able to move forward with a fresh year, and I am taking the time to do those things a lot these days (meditation and journaling being a daily ritual right now). I have this deep feeling in my soul that 2014 is going to be a wonderful year, after the last (very hard but fruitful) year of self reflection and internal work and working towards healing as best as I can. I believe your life is what YOU make of it, no one else, and you will have the best year yet if you keep working towards creating your best life yet. I encourage everyone to enjoy their New Year's rituals (going to sleep early, going to a party, a glass of champagne, a kiss at midnight, cleaning the house... whatever floats your boat!) and I will be back in a few days with a bright, fresh blog post to start 2014! Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!