There were moments in the past year of growth, the sweetest joy, surprising pain and the presence of Jesus throughout it all. We started the year off celebrating my father-in-law's renewed life as he received a transplant heart. We welcomed precious Bauer into our family. Patrick took on a new role and became Lead Pastor at our church. Our family spent some time traveling on vacation and conferences throughout the year. We moved houses and it has felt like "home" since the day we received the keys. In addition to a third child, we also added a kitten (outdoor) and a new puppy to our Garcia Farm. I have enjoyed sewing lots of scarves and taking countless photographs. We have made lots of memories with dear friends. A year without my Nana, but learning from her still. We have shared meals and stories around our tables and plenty of laughs around the firepit. John Ryman learned to ride without training wheels. Vera jumped all the way through 2016 and never stops "adventuring". Bauer beats everyone with how much he has changed this year, but his calm smile has sure stayed the same. We have celebrated babies, birthdays and anniversaries. There have been many joyful moments and times of comforting and being comforted. We have stopped and savored the days and hustled too many away. Finishing out the year with family, holding a little closer than before and thanking God for His protection (especially my mom). What a full 2016. A year of growth and learning with Jesus' strength all the way.
I don't usually choose a word to represent the entire next year. Typically because I forget the word by February or I decide a few weeks in that there was a better word I could have chosen :) But one word continued to come to mind for 2017, so I thought I would share it here. Maybe you can comment with your one word for the year below or start thinking of a phrase you want to define 2017.
2017..."Capture"
I want to capture moments as a family. Through photography, yes... but deeper than that. The verse in Luke 2 that says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." I think Mary was able to treasure and ponder because there was a lot less hustle in her life. I want to create margin in every day to step away from busy and just to Treasure.I want to capture moments in photography as well. This is an area I want to be intentional and grow in this next year. Such a beautiful gift to photograph a moment or emotion that could quickly be forgotten and capture it for someone to remember forever.
I also want to capture my thoughts and cling only to the Truth of Christ. Satan throws so many lies our way. I want to grow in my knowledge of scripture so I can allow what God thinks about me to be what I see as truth and not what Satan wants me to believe.
Let's capture this new year and hit the ground running, friends!!
No comments:
Post a Comment