Happy New Year!!!

I remember my mother and grandmother making comments about ‘the older you get, the faster time goes’ and I thought they were crazy! LOL  I remember being young and I couldn’t wait to be 16 to get my driver’s license or to be 18 to be ‘an adult’ and graduate high school…or to be 21 and be able to get in to a club or go to Las Vegas. LOL  Now that I’m older I understand what they meant…. The older I get, the faster time goes by. It can slow down anytime now! 

The last couple of years I have had some major life changes and it seems like I’ve been in transition, just trying to find my new place in the world and to find purpose for my life in this next chapter. After 25 years of marriage, I found myself divorced, and a single woman on my own for the first time in my adult life. I had been raising children for those 25 years and now my children were grown and trying to find their own way in life. The one constant thing in my life these last few years, and my saving grace, has been my Close to My Heart Business. It continues to provide so many things in my life…friendships, a great income, amazing incentive trips, a ‘place to belong’, something to always look forward to.

I have been a Close to My Heart Consultant for 15 years now and I got to ‘retire’ from my job as an RN 10 years ago to work my business full-time from home. I love being able to make my own schedule and to share CTMH and my love of scrapbooking and memory keeping with all of my friends.  I continue to hold my monthly scrapbook classes and am looking for new ways to connect with more of my friends and fellow-scrapbookers in the coming year.

Just a few months ago, I accepted a full-time position at our local Medical/Surgical Clinic and am working a M-F 40-hour week in addition to my scrapbook business. It has been a challenge trying to find that balance again and I am working on ‘getting my groove back’ in the New Year. I have met some wonderful people at my new job and made some great new friendships, as well as having some additional income to pay for my new house and pool! I purchased a new home in April of this last year – another big first on my own. I love my house and it is slowly but surely feeling more and more like home to me.  

I haven’t posted on my blog in quite some time, as it’s been hard to know what to post these last couple of years and how much of this journey to share. But my goal for 2014 is to share more of my story with you and to slow down and find 'joy in the journey'. 

If you are familiar with scrapbook author and teacher, Ali Edwards, you may have heard about her 'One Little Word' Workshop, where she has you choose one word for the year. Ali writes, 

"Having a single word to focus on each year has made a difference in my life.

In 2006 I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January – a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. My words have included play, peace, vitality, nurture, story, light, up and open. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They’ve been imbedded into who I am, and into who I’m becoming. They’ve been what I’ve needed (and didn’t know I needed). They’ve helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow.

What do you do with this one little word?

You live with it. You invite it into you life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities." 

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking the last few weeks... what is my one little word for 2014? What do I want to focus on? Where do I need to improve? And I've finally decided! My word is JOY! I want to stop simply trying to make it through each day, each week, each month, but to savor each moment and find JOY in my life again this year. I choose JOY! What will you choose to be your 'One Little Word' in 2014? I hope you'll share with me if you decide to choose a word to lead you this year. 

Wishing you a Very Happy New Year in 2014 and that you find lots of reasons to celebrate and scrapbook and that you find JOY in your journey, too!

Cindy