I have been easing into 2024 over the past few weeks. My studio time has been filled with cleaning, organizing, purging, creating and DREAMING! I have been working my usual amount of hours, but my pace has certainly slowed down. The slower pace has given me margin in my brain to create and dream. The last quarter of the year is always full and therefore hurried. Full of joy? Yes. But also full of commitments and to-do’s. Yes. The moment Christmas Day is over, my ‘wintering’ begins. The week between Christmas and New Years is always my favorite of the year. There is nothing like a 7 day staycation with no alarms, no schedule, and plenty of rest. I did a little cleaning and purging but mostly a lot of reflecting and dreaming. This is a time of joy because of the rest but also because the downtime gives me and my family time to experience joy through the memories of the previous year. We laugh about funny moments, remember adventures and celebrate accomplishments. I have included the questions we use to prompt this reflection HERE. I hope you enjoy the exercise as much as we do!
2024 is my 40th year! I realize nothing magical happens when you turn forty, but it certainly is a milestone worth celebrating! Over the past few slower weeks, I have been able to articulate my dreams for next year and next decade. One huge gift I received from 2023 was the revelation that God wants me to receive the abundant life he has for me. He wants to give me good gifts. He wants me to live fully alive in my true identity. That realization plus reflecting on the blessings and hardships in 2023, prepped me for a big dream session. 2023 wasn’t my favorite year for a variety of reasons, but I experienced lots of joy and blessings like an epic trip to Paris, supernatural peace in a season of stress, all 3 kids together at the same school, provision, family road trip to Maine and clarity on my next phase of business. I am ready for a year full of adventure and abundance!