Hello there 2018

hello 2018.

How that happened? Your guess is better than mine. I’m certain that 2.5 minutes ago we were celebrating the excitement of the news that we were expecting and that was August, we’re now in a completely new year in a snap! Anyone feeling much of the same?

One thing I must confess is that I’m not a massive fan of the period between Christmas/New Year. I know, I know some of you think it’s the greatest thing ever and I get that too. However, for me I find it such an awkward period. Christmas is done, knowing that the decorations have to come down and the New Year and new goals can’t quite begin just yet. But oh how I love, LOVE the feeling of a brand new year.

One of my favorite traditions is sitting down with S on New Year’s Day, no matter where we are, we find space and time to sit and plan/talk about our dreams and goals for the year ahead. We also carefully consider a word that we want to declare over the coming year. Last year our word was ‘fulfill’. There were many things that had been stirring in our hearts for some time and we declared that 2017 be one of seeing some of those desires fulfilled. We believed for answers, for closure, for the miraculous and for a heart full of faith to take on whatever stood in our way. I can truly say, hand on heart, that 2017 was a year full of just that. Between feeling more settled with our life here in the UK and the miraculous blessings of our two greatest joys brewing in my belly, 2017 was definitely a year of fulfilling dreams and seeing breakthrough.

So our word for this year, after little deliberation, is living “intentionally” or being “intentional”. I feel like it’s already so fitting for the year that lies ahead. Although we have no idea what these next few months are going to bring we know that we want to be intentional with our time, our love, our prayers, our friendship groups, our family and many other aspects of our life. This crazy world can get so busy and the days, months and years can fly by so fast. Take 2017 for example. So we want to be sure that we continue to check in and soak up these sweet and fleeting moments and be intentional with everything we touch. I can guarantee this will be a continual work in progress and something we have to keep reviewing, but our ‘intent’ (see what I did there) is that by the time 2019 (what!?) rolls around we can say that it was a year that will go down as one of the best and that we truly lived in the moments, both big and small, more than we didn’t.

So what’s stirring in your heart for 2018? Do you and your family declare a word over your year ahead? Leave it in the comments below, I would love to hear what you’re dreaming up! Oh, and just because we’re three weeks in doesn’t mean it’s too late to start now. Every new day is a chance for new dreams and new goals.