New Year = Keyword = balance

I opened my inbox this morning to find a new edition of AEzine (newsletter from the fabulous Ali Edwards) and it has been pulling at my mind today. Her challenge was for each of us to pick a keyword for the year and apply it to our lives...different than a resolution, more about defining your life or defining a characteristic that needs work. I think last year was a year of freedom for me....free to laugh, love, live and play with abandon. To not be so stressed, to enjoy life in all its beauty, to create memories, to just be. As I look back over the last year it sure was a chaotic one, filled with some not great stuff, but because of my faith in God I was able to see His hand at work and survive. I became stronger because of it and about half way through I realized that I needed to loosen up a lot and just have a good time with life. It has changed so much for me...so this year my keyword is Balance....

bal·ance noun, verb

a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc; mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc

I want to balance out my life...make the time to do the things I enjoy and be with the people I love. I want to play games with my kids, read a good book, watch a few movies, be involved in ministry, actually do my bible study and spend good quality time with my husband. I want to take walks, ride bikes, go camping, do housework (well not really), work in my kids' school, and still be able to say at the end of the day that I was productive and made a difference in my kids life. I want to be able to say no, a lot more than I do and say yes to some things i have never done before. I want to be impulsive and enjoy life everyday. Yep...balance is a good thing....so here is to a new year and a new motto.