It has been a long time since I’ve written so I’ll give some reflections of 2018. Sometimes, life happens. Well, technically, life ALWAYS happens 😀 but sometimes it just pulls our focus away from where we thought it would be to the urgent things in front of us. 2018 was one of those years for me.

New Adventures & Reflections

Health

While I’ve been following THM (Trim Healthy Mama) since November 2015, this past April I jumped into a coaching group that transformed the way I was following the plan. Through growing cheats, I had gained 15 of the 40 pounds I lost and was frustrated with being unable to get back on track. But finding the coaching group with SweetEs Yummy Creations (Elena Cordoba)  gave me a new vision for what could happen with my eating. I lost the 15 pounds plus another 10 beyond that for a total of 51 pounds gone. I’m feeling healthier and so thrilled for this change,

Family

This is my last year of homeschooling and I feel as if I’ve lost my oomph! 30 years is a long time and I’ll be happy to have it over. It’s been a good run but there is such a difference when you have several children than only one. And when you have a non-driven teenage boy, bucking the work every step of the way, it makes for a not-so-fun final year, But we WILL finish and go on to the next step!

Business

This past year I’ve been focusing on building my business. Didn’t know I had one, did you? Well, I began my own web design business when I turned 60. Most of the women I know my age are thinking of retiring and I’m beginning a new chapter of entrepreneurship! And I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur!! I’ve been helping friends with their blogs for years and thought, “Goodness, maybe I can even do this as a business!” But I’ve also been building websites for friends and ministries and realized that small businesses and non-profits simply cannot afford the $3,000 most companies charge for a basic site. So I focus on that: giving an online presence to promote business and ministry.

This has also, through no fault of my own, led to formatting books and uploading for self-publications. While I don’t feel very secure in doing this, I’m learning tons and actually doing a pretty decent job.

Ministry

This past summer the Lord led me to teach a training class on How To Disciple. I’ve been fabulously discipled myself and have spent the past 40 years discipling others. And I saw a lack in churches and women’s lives. This was something the Spirit has been burbling in my mind for a long time and it jumped to the surface this summer. The class went really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now in the process of re-creating this as an online course. It will be 12 videos, a workbook and a pdf copy of my book. I’m hoping to have this course ready for purchase by mid-March.

Home

I’ve spent quite a bit of time doing some projects in our home. We aren’t really renovating, because we don’t have the money, but we are doing surface make-overs. And slowly changing our fairly ugly home into a place of comfort and loveliness.

Juggling, margin and all that jazz.

I am not natural born organizer. Nor am I naturally a hard worker, although I work hard – it just takes more effort. Put all the new things I’ve stepped into this year and I’ve been finding myself running on empty more than I should. I’ve been looking and praying about how to keep all things in perspective while still going forward. And in all of this, I’ve had to (hopefully temporarily) lay down other things I’ve been jugging. Blogging has, therefore, been laid on the floor for the time being. As I grow more in balancing my various responsibilities and learn how to make some things my new ‘default’, I’m really looking forward to returning to blogging.

That’s my year, in a nutshell. I miss you all but I still regularly get out my list of subscribers and pray through it all! For now, I pray for a blessed and tranquil Christmas and New Year to all of you!

Photo by Steven VanDesande Jr on Unsplash