The best of 2024

I normally enjoy reminiscing through my photos at the end of December but I found them a disorganized mess this year. Many were unedited and in the wrong folders and my computer has been having backup issues that slowed everything down.

After a few hours of sorting, editing, and fixing my computer woes I was left with this blank text space waiting to be filled with some reflective words. It finally hit me that organizing my mess of photos was a pretty good representation of what the past year has felt like.

God has been paring away some disorganized and messy parts of my life so that I can be more fully surrendered to Him. It’s been a getting my ducks in a row sort of year.

I didn’t realize how much worldly advice I’ve clung to over the years instead of going to the source of Life and asking Him how to live.

Most of these things I’m learning to let go of aren’t bad habits. In fact on the outside it would look like I’m doing a good job keeping my house or teaching my children. The problem was not letting the Holy Spirit lead these areas of my life and therefore instead of God, I’ve gotten the world.

I’ve become depleted because of instead of tailoring our home life according to the Spirit, I’ve just been pulling off a motherhood mashup according to “good ideas”.

I’ve picked up these good ideas from friends, other mothers, the internet, and my upbringing. I don’t think I’m supposed to throw it all out, but instead pray and evaluate what is right for now.

Our life is different than other families. I can’t expect that someone else’s routine or methodology is going to work for us. For years I’ve tried to find the magic bullet that would make us run smoothly and in return I’ve gained exhaustion and guilt.

I wish I could say I was already in that Holy Spirit flow but alas I’m still in the process. I feel excited for this next year and anticipate that God’s vision will far exceed any good advice I could stumble upon.

It was a blessing in disguise to go back through and organize a year’s worth of photos. There were so many small moments that I forgot happened and it reminded me that this year was full of beauty.

We played with friends, enjoyed the spring flowers, started a town garden, had way too many late summer nights full of bikes and play, found out we are expecting baby number 7, helped Brad release his book, and celebrated lots of birthdays (always someone to celebrate in a big ol family!). It was a good year, and as always I’m grateful I have these photos to remember it by.

I know I say these every year, but we’ve grown so much.