Bring it

About two months ago I made plans for my family (dh and 2 1/2 yo son) to travel to Guatemala. We leave Thursday (!) and will live with a local family and study in a school for 2 weeks. Last week I started having all these fears about it, "Ds is just starting to use his potty consistently - what will taking him away from it do to this pleasant new habit? What if he cries at night and bothers the family? What am I thinking, taking my non-vaccinated child out of the country?!?" Talk about Law of Attraction - I just kept attracting one fearful thought after another until I realized what I was doing. Then I got really clear about my intentions: I traveled through Guatemala extensively and I love the country, but I haven’t been back since 2002, and very much want to see the changes, reconnect, and share it with my husband and son. Dh wants to learn Spanish and I want to improve mine. I know we will have an amazing time and will always be grateful that we did it. I realized that I was creating my fears with my thoughts and I could *choose* a better feeling thought and happily found that the next one and the next one were right behind it. Now I just keep riding that wonderful energy and I get more and more excited. Of course I will report on the trip when I get back, but I wanted to write now about my intention that in the new year I find more opportunities to move out of my comfort zone. Christine Kane recommends that you skip new year’s resolutions and instead pick a word that will guide you throughout the year. My word this year is "courage", or when I want to smile I’ll say, "Bring it."

Wishing My Mom Great Joy

I've been working a lot lately and that means I've had less time than I would like with my family and friends. I've been covering for colleagues so that they can have more time with their families over the holidays and they will return the favor when I take a considerable amount of time off in January for dh, ds, and I to travel to Guatemala. So I am happy with the situation - I am just SO happy to have the day I had today. I spent a lovely morning with dh and ds and the afternoon with my mom and dad. Then this evening ds and I went to our church and joined in a potluck supper and made an Advent wreath and calendar - a very sweet way to end a perfect day with my family.

But back to my mom! Today is her birthday! She and my dad came into town and we celebrated at a very good restaurant with VERY good wine. Really, is there any greater felicity than sharing good food and wine with people you love? We will celebrate my mom's birthday again when our whole family is together at the end of the month, so it felt very special to get this time with her today. My mom is amazing in so many ways - she is an incredible mother, teacher, friend, artist and overall an incredible human being. Everyone who knows her loves her. At some point, not too long ago, I realized that I've had a great ride in this life and I attribute so much of that to my mom. She has always set a wonderful example for a life well lived. She has a great love for life, a deep curiosity for everything around her, a willingness to see the best in all people, and a desire to help in any way she can. Thank you, mom, for everything! I hope this next year brings you great joy!

Happy Birthday to You, Dear Mom!