Happy New Year friends!

A new year always brings a new slate. The anticipation of new things to come. When the year comes to an end naturally it has me thinking and reflecting on the new year. Last year my word was PEACE, 2012 was a year of changes for our family and I was looking for peace and calmness in all areas of our life. I also was looking forward to building a home in our new house. As I look back on 2013 I see how we did just that.

But 2013 was also a hard year for me emotionally. I became a mom of two little ones. I had a baby that only recently after his one year birthday began sleeping through the night. It was a hard year for me personally dealing with friendships. I've struggled to find priority in what to share in this space, and how to make sense of major transitions in my life.

I've spent a lot of time in prayer just me and the Lord figuring out who I am in the face of all of this transition. What kind of mom am I to be? Where do I go in this new season of life? Who does God want me to be in this new season?

As I started to work things through in prayer + in my quiet time I started to see just where God has me in this season. He began to bring a new freshness in my perspective that changed my heart.

This year I want to Thrive.

I want to thrive in being a mother. For much of this past year I have felt like just take it one day at a time, when I don't know what to do. Being a mom is tough work. When I left my full time job outside the home to stay at home with my kiddos I had no idea how hard that would be for me when all I ever wanted to do was be at home. But after working two and a half years outside the home it was more of a transition for me than I realized it would be. At times I've felt like a failure, other times I felt like mom of the year. Most of 2013 I felt like I was floundering and only doing the bare minimum in getting things done. It may not have always seemed that way on the outside but on the inside that's where I was at.

When I get overwhelmed or unsure I tend to retreat inward. I tend to get very introspective and not really tell anyone else what's going on, or what I'm feeling until I know what to do with those feelings or make sense of them. I started flooding my life and filling my life with things that didn't matter instead of taking a look at the feelings and things that did. I felt like at times I was barely scraping the bottom.

I want to thrive and not just survive in being the best wife I can be. In figuring out what commitments I need to let go of in order to thrive in other areas of my life. I've always been good at seeing what takes up my time and what I need to let go of. That is not always an easy process but throughout much of 2013 I filtered through a lot of things. I find myself now needing to simplify and make some decisions and ultimately let some things so to free myself and make room for other new things.

I have new ideas on where I want to take my business + this blog and I can't wait to share them. Taking comfort in God's peace and assurance during this time. I hope to re focus this year and what my life looks like now in this current season. Here's a few verses I'm repeating to myself and keeping on my mind.

They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on the river bank. Isaiah 44:4 NLT

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love. Psalms 52:8 NLT

Do you have a word for 2014? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Leave it in the comments below or leave the link to your post where you talk about it. I'd love to read your stories.

Andrea Worley