Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Embrace...

by Susan


 Embrace...my one little word for 2014. The one little word that found me...in various ways...and silently said...

"I'm your word.  Take hold of me with wide open arms. Embrace the journey."

Big life changes are happening this year...already happening.  Just this past week I've embraced the spontaneity of


...which led to the wonderful feeling of...


While surprise and joy are such easy emotions to embrace, there are also the not-so-wonderful emotions to embrace that can come from...


...but what is life if we don't embrace every moment, even the difficult ones...for it makes us who we are. 

Two big life changes that I must embrace are happening this summer. My daughter and her family are moving and my stepson is headed off to college. It's bittersweet. Even though I'm soooo excited for them and their new adventures...it hurts...I'm sad...and yes, I know it's all a part of life.

Once again my word embrace silently speaks to me...

"I'm your word.  Take hold of me with wide open arms. Embrace the journey."

And I smile...


What about you…your one little word for the year? Did it silently speak to you…or did it take some time to choose? Do you embrace your word each day and feel it's presence…or not so much. Please take a moment and share. We'd love to hear from you! xo's!  

{special thanks to my niece catherine…love you}




8 comments:

Sarah Huizenga said...

Catherine did a great job as your helper. Yes those big life changes stink, but through them you grow and learn a lot about yourself in the process.

Cathy H. said...

Very creative post this morning! Catherine has a beautiful expressive face! It's tough when you know your going to facing a rough year. Having one's children move away is so very hard, but I keep telling myself, I know this is the best for them!

Katie said...

oh my, susan, such glorious photos!
i like how "embrace" can also mean "hug", like Life will hug you out of the sadness of your children beginning their new adventures and "embrace/hug" will comfort you through this journey.

terriporter said...

As has been said, such a creative and fun post! Your niece was a great model and I love your word for this year! Sometimes it's hard to embrace those difficult moments. This takes me back to when my kids left for college and, even harder, when my son moved to Texas. When things change, it's a little scary. Not knowing what to expect is hard for me. This year my word is "joy". It was our Monthly Focus here at FOL and I found that seeking the joy in life helped me get through the difficult times and so I decided to continue the joy and choose that as my word for 2014. Looking for the joy in any situation is helping me look past my fear of the unknown, kind of like your embracing the changes in your life. As always, great post, my friend!

Viv@Thoughts from the Desktop said...

You have a great model she is so natural. I didn't intend to have a word this year but it crept up on me....Explore...

Dotti said...

Catherine is beautiful! I knew she was too young to be your daughter but she could be, there's a strong family resemblance. The photos are fantastic and fun ... so well done! And your word, an excellent choice! I feel your pain about your daughter and her family moving. Mine lives so nearby I don't know what we'd do if they relocated. Probably follow them. Thankfully, their jobs are anchored here. My 'concept' for 2014 is 'simplicity'. I've always fizzled at the word thing so I'm trying a different approach.

Anonymous said...

Looks like you and Catherine had a fun photo shoot, Susan.

I like your thoughts on embrace. Change is hard, but we have to face it with a positive attitude!

My word for the year found me ... Strength.

Kim Stevens said...

Well Susan, these are just gorgeous photos and so perfectly illustrate your written words! My daughter started her first year of college this past fall and it was so hard...that drive back home. And for the first couple of weeks the adjustment was hard. But then, life settled back into itself - just in a different way. And yes, the difficult times absolutely makes us who we are, but we have to take heed in what we allow them to make us.

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