2018 has been an interesting year. Our family has experienced a lot of joy and sorrow.
The first 6 months
During the school year the beginning of 2018 my son was attending voluntary pre-kindergarten. As a stay at home mom you often don’t know what to do with your time when your kid first start school. I ended up writing for my blog some, reading books, and cleaning. At the time none of this was exciting or meant anything. I was feeling very blah about the direction of my blog and was seriously considering shutting it down. We also decided to homeschool for kindergarten, so I was preparing for that.
As the year progressed an opportunity for growth happened for my husband, Scott. He retired from the military several years ago and since then has been involved with the American Legion. Although we weren’t sure we were ready for it he decided to run to be the commander. This position is something that requires a big-time commitment. The passion Scott has for helping veterans is indescribable and I knew that it was something he would thrive at. He was elected, and the journey was set to begin in July.
Major change in July
July was a huge turning point for our family. Unfortunately, my father in law and grandmother passed away that month. So along with Scott’s new responsibilities we had to deal with our grief of losing family members. Needless to say, it has been a big challenge that we deal with daily.
Losing my grandmother has set off a journey that I didn’t expect, but something I really needed. Although I have enjoyed my education with all the holistic modalities I study and teach there has always been a depth that I was missing. Religion has been a challenge for me since I was a teen. I have always struggled with the hard and fast “rules” of religion that can cut off the need for empathy sometimes. I believe this has caused me to block out that intuitive, spiritual ability to know that there are unexplainable energies.
I have practiced yoga for years and recently began Reiki but struggled with the energetic connection there too. I am generally an extremely introverted person and I don’t talk openly about these types of things. I finally broke down and reached out to a mentor for some advice. My conversation with Dina Tibbs of Amused Woman Studios https://amusedwomanstudios.com/ set me on a spiritual journey that finally broke through that energetic block. I have been able to view religion and spirituality in a new compassionate way.
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I also had a last-minute opportunity to attend the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy conference. While I was at the conference another mentor Kelly and I talked a lot about the synchronicity of life. Since my grandmother passed there have been a lot of little things that have connected my life together. These little things have also given me a connection to my grandmother that I never could see or expect.
Conclusions for growth
The conversations with Dina and Kelly have given me renewed vigor. The walls need to come down and I am ready to connect with spirit and life. We really are gifted with amazing things in life from nature to other people. As I continue to grow and explore these amazing connections, I would like to continue this journey and hope that you will join me in 2019.
