Land of Lockhart: Happy New Year: 10...11 days late.

Oh my goodness, it is 2014! How did we get here? I went nearly two months since my last post. Nothing new around here. We all know my posts come in waves. But I am feeling the need to blog. It's cathartic.

In general, nothing new has been going around these parts. And since my entire blog audience is Facebook family and friends I'm sure you have an idea of what has been going down here in the Land of Lockhart. I'll provide a small list of highlights anyway.

Here we go, 2013 round up:

We went to NC for Thanksgiving.
Simon and Duncan were baptized.
Simon is officially a walker.
Disney on Ice.
Caught a cold
We survived an ice storm.
Christmas was wonderful and over too quickly as it is every year.
2014 arrived.

Really there are some wonderful detail that happened the last month and a half of 2013, but really I can't remember now that I'm trying to document them. Sorry.

But here we are 2014, a year of possibilities. The past several years I always have this overly optimistic idea that "this year is going to be 'Our year'". You know that life altering year that will put us exactly where we are meant to be. The year that is going to make every other crap-tastic year worth it. I don't have that feeling this year, and it is probably for the better. I am sure we are where we are suppose to be, all the crap and all the joys included.

I like New Year's though. I like the idea of starting fresh. I recently discovered people like to chose a word of the year as opposed to a resolution. That idea is appealing to me. Some of the blogs I follow have chosen a word and how that word will inspire them to make changes over the next 12 months.

For me there are so many things I wish I wasn't and or was. I sometimes wish I was someone else. There are lots of things that I desperately want to change about myself. (And to be completely honest, it's to the point of sinfulness. I'm sure I am disregarding gifts that God has given me.) I think choosing a word is a broader approach to the new year than a list of resolutions. With resolutions I am likely to become extremely self-deprecating. So after several weeks of thinking and praying, my word is:

Purge.

The most obvious thing is ridding my life of stuff. YES, that will be taking place over the 12 months. In the shower on Christmas I was hit over the head by the Holy Spirit. Seriously, I have never experience anything like that. It had to be Divine. I was completely overwhelmed with what I must sacrifice for Lent. I know we had JUST finished Advent, but I was being told anyway. Over the 40 days of lent I will be removing 10 things from my home every day. I will not buy anything. I will keep my grocery shopping to a minimum, but that is all I will buy. Every Saturday I will take my 60 items to the Salvation Army or give them to someone who wants or needs them. I have hoarder tendencies...seriously. This is going to be very, VERY hard. I am sure that shower was my first hint as to what my word for this year should be. Even though I didn't even know I was going to be choosing a word.

But I have other things too purge as well. I'm obsessive. I have got to let things go and let them just be. I have lots of mental baggage that I need to get rid of so that I can be a more authentic version of myself. I am sure frequenting the confessional more than my yearly obligation is necessary. Purging sin is probably a good start. Comparisons, doubt, and ideas of what I should be need to go. So I have the ability to embrace my talents and gifts, so I can be the woman that God created me to be. I can't do this alone. I have to ask for God's graces, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit wouldn't hurt either...along with the Blessed Mother and the saints interceding on my behalf.

To tell you guys the truth, I am not thrilled with the word, but I do think this word was given to me. And in 12 months I hope that my life is lighter and more simplistic because of it. I am sure that 2014 is going to be crap-tastic like every other year, because life is full of crap y'all. But that is ok. I can accept the crap I'm given, let it go, and let God do the rest.

Here are a few pictures for the end of the year.