Friday, January 3, 2014

Real and Fearless in 2014


As I reflect on the past year I realize that ultimately we have been hibernating in our own little world with our new baby girl. And while it has been quite boring and lonely with all of our friends and family back home in Arizona, our best friends moving to California, and all of the guys being deployed in Afghanistan, it has also given me new appreciation for this life.

How can I appreciate boredom and loneliness you ask? Because it gave me time. Time to reflect, time to learn, time to find inspiration from other wives and moms in an online community that I never knew existed, and time to explore my own dreams and desires. It gave me a moment in time {which in the moment felt way more than a moment} to be away from the hustle and bustle and just spend time with the ones I love the most, my husband and daughter.
   
The new chapter.
    
As this year begins, so does a new chapter for us, we get to go home finally! This is so huge and will be such an incredible while also scary adjustment. Four years in the Marines has been the biggest test to my patience, my marriage, and above all else, my faithfulness to my God. I don't want to be boo hooing over being a Marine wife, but all I will say is, its not easy by any means. I do believe everything happens for a reason and I believe that we needed to go through some of the roughest patches of our life and marriage to be what we are today. 
Everything was always "picture perfect" for us when we were dating {before the military, a deployment, and back surgery} and I always said that things "felt too good to be true" and that there was going to be something that had to come along and test us and then BAM military life came and my world of what I knew and what I thought life should be {according to my worldly view} completely changed. However, I am coming to see the blessing through it all more and more every day. 
God puts us in what I like to call a waiting room, and in the moment it feels like a millennium and there is doubt and fear and wonder of what comes after this, and lots of questions of "why?" And then you get called to the next stage and that last stage you were in suddenly becomes clear. It all led to growth, growth of character {through mistakes and accomplishments}, of marriage, of motherhood, of my own dreams and desires for God's glory.

Making 2014 Count!

So now, here it is, 2014. The year I have been impatiently waiting for. And I want to MAKE IT COUNT! I know resolutions can be a little cliche and people always say that if you need to make a change in your life then it shouldn't matter what day of the year it is, but I do believe that it is in fact good to reevaluate yourself at the end of the year, and a new year marks a new beginning so why not have goals for the new year? I commend anyone for wanting to make a change for the better no matter what the day! So with a ton of "newness" going on, my two words (couldn't come up with just one!) for 2014 is...

REAL and FEARLESS. 

I hope to approach all of these new and scary and exciting experiences without fear. I want to glorify God though it all, and being fearful of rejection, embarrassment, or what is to come, is obviously Satan's work. This life is such an incredible thing and even through those "issues" life is still just as wonderful. With this in mind, I don't want to try to shove these feelings under the rug, I hope to be real and connect with others in that realness. How else will I be a light for God to shine through if I pretend everything is perfect? Its through Gods mercy and grace that I make it through my trials, and I can only be fearless that He will get me through!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

A few things on my to do list for 2014

1. I hope to create more time in my schedule to blog- I really do love blogging, I love being able to write out whats on my mind and I hope to encourage others. My blogging has been lack and I actually hate it. I love seeing new posts from other blogs I love and I (embarrassingly) feel connected to these women for their honesty. I hope to share my honesty for other women too and inspire us all to be REAL, our lives are not "pinterest perfect" and it doesn't have to be! We can find the beauty in our own lives without fantasizing about what it "could be". Something I am willing to admit I struggle with daily!

2. Create a business I am proud of- My sister and I are in the beginning phases of a new business, and we are just in our brainstorming phase. So the more I am brainstorming I am realizing that my wants and desires for the business is to be a business for others. That may sound kind of dumb because obviously its about the customer, but, I want to go beyond the customer and be a blessing to others.
A few things we are sure of, no matter how much success we have in the business {considering handmade items is already a HUGE market we are stepping into} is that we definitely want to be affordable, we want to create lots of opportunities for free stuff {because we could ALL use a pick me up and who doesn't enjoy getting something with no strings attached!?}, and lastly we want to make the customers dollar go a little farther and give a percent to a world in need. I think I know of the charity we are going to be giving to but not completely sure yet. I completely believe we are "blessed to be a blessing" and if I am lucky enough to get any amount of success through this business I feel it is only right to bless someone from it. My motivation for this comes from Matthew 25.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

Matthew 25:35-40

3. Take the time to appreciate the littleness- This may be the last thing on this list, but it is definitely one of my top priorities. It's funny because right before I wrote this I was down on the floor playing with my daughter and telling her how much I truly loved her and went on a rant about my hopes and dreams for her {even if she has NO clue what I am saying, I will tell her every chance I get!} and as I go to pick her up to give her lots of smooches... I realize this diaper stood no chance against, yet again, this explosive bum that keeps producing massive amounts of poop. And normally I am so frustrated but I sat there for a minute and just laughed. I know that her first year is going to go by like the blink of an eye so I want to worry less about what is "the right thing to do" and do more of what my gut tells me. Because Im her momma... and well... Momma knows best ;]

10 comments:

  1. "And then you get called to the next stage and that last stage you were in suddenly becomes clear." So true! Its a beautiful season you are in, Im right there with you. Cheering you on! Live it to the hilt. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Here's to OUR fearlessness this year! =]

      Delete
  2. I found your blog!! Good luck on your business :) can't wait to see what happens
    http://thewilliamsjourney1.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your blog!! I'm a Marine Wife too!

    Keep blogging :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is this understanding and connection among Marine wives that is unexplainable, I love it! =] Where are you guys stationed?!

      Delete
  4. I love your blog!! I truly find your strength and devotion to glorifying everything you do in God inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experiences and stories, they truly are a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If blogging can inspire even one person than that is good enough for me! Thank you for your kind words! <3

      Delete
  5. I have followed your blog silently for over a year now. I found you when I was trying to find my personal blog which at the time was also named "Making memories with you" :) I have enjoyed your posts so much. You bring so much happiness to my heart just by reading your posts about your life and how REAL you are especially with your pregnancy and being a Marine wife. I am an army wife. Its nice to get away from the "perfect" and read the real stuff. Keep it up. I love your posts and look forward to a new one. I plan on writing more in 2014. I haven't written since December of 2012. I say its time to start again. Thank you for the motivation. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good luck on your business, Mrs. Hanson! I love your “business for others” mentality. True, the business is all about the customer, but the underlying principle behind it is still for personal profit; take care of your customers, take care of your business, see more profit. Rarely do we see a business that is established purely for the customer and for the others in need. Thank you, for taking it a step further.

    Clint Shaff @ FranchiseMatch

    ReplyDelete