Ushering in 2015

We’re just a couple days away from the New Year and like many, I am reflecting on what 2015 brought … and took away ;-). Here is my short list of things I learned in 2014:

• LOVE never fails. Of all the challenges, all the long nights of homework, all the job endings and new job beginnings, I learned time and time again that love never ever fails. Love keeps. Love prevails. Love heals. Love mends. I am so very thankful for LOVE.
• I am stronger than I thought. In many regards, this has been a long and challenging year – not as challenging as some others – but challenging nonetheless. When I look back and think about the commutes to class, the late nights, balancing working and home, I am reminded that my strength sometimes exceeds my belief in my own ability.
• My friendship circle remains small intentionally. There are times when I see social media posts or run into old friends and for a moment, I have prolonged thoughts of rekindling those relationships or imagined feelings of what my life would be like with much larger friendship circles. But then I am reminded of why I keep those I love so very close to me and why so many others remain at arm’s length. There is such beauty in friendships without fault, or distrust, or malice … I treasure those and have remembered that they are few and far in between.
• Forgiveness heals. There is not much more to be said here.
• If I can dream it, I can do it. This has been a HUGE year of dreams!!! Graduating and starting school again, continuing to blog, starting my book club, becoming an instructor … and so much more! I now know more than ever that if I can dream it, if I want it bad enough and if I am willing to work endlessly for it – I can achieve it. AND I have also realized that some days I will miss the mark – I’ve accepted that they either simply aren’t for me or something better is on the way.
• My family means to world to me. This hasn’t changed and I doubt that it ever will.
• My faith still sustains me.