Letting Go

Today is my birthday. I've never been comfortable with my birthday. Just so you know, it's not about the getting older part. It goes back to my childhood and I won't bore you with those details. Instead I will share with you how I have dealt with this day. When I was 24, I was pregnant with my first son, Jeremiah. I knew being a mother meant that I had to be the best person I could be. So for my birthday, I decided that each year I would give myself a gift. One year I would give myself the gift of letting something go and the next year I would gift myself by embracing something. Over the last 30 years, I have had to revisit some things. Dealing with clutter and simplifying my life have taken many years and I'm still not there yet. Wish I could be more Zen like. Some years I have cried a lot as I struggled. Some years were filled with so much joy that I thought I would burst. Some years life had a different plan. The year I decided to do something that scared me changed my life in a very big way. I went to Georgia (country not state) which lead me to a couple years of incredible adventures including travel with the quilts of Gee's Bend. Overall, it's been an interesting process of self discovery. I've learned I'm capable of more than ever thought possible.

I use to discount when people would call me courageous until I explored further what courage means. Courage comes from the Latin for "heart." Courage is also contained in the word encouragement--literally, giving heart to another.

This year I am suppose to be letting go of something that is holding me back and as I worked on deciding what that should be, I realized that this year was really about letting go AND embracing. This year I will be letting go of the fear that I don't deserve all the good things that are coming my way AND embrace all the joy and wonder of all the good things that are coming my way. I am going to make this a incredible year! What gift will you give yourself this year?