Choosing a guiding word for your year is a concept that I have bought into with varying intensity over the years. In 2013 I chose rooted, thinking this would be the year we start the adoption process.  One artifact from that particular year was a vision board I made as a result from participating in this workshop by Ali Edwards:

I love looking back at this vision board about my word because the following year in February is when my purpose and “mom’s life” begun so the board really did have a huge amount of meaning. I also feel that being purposeful and mindful about what being “rooted” would mean to us as a couple led to some hard work and counseling that set us up to even be able to start the roller coaster of our foster journey the following year.

In 2014, my word was connect which eh, didn’t impact me a whole lot. I didn’t set a word for my 2015 but in hindsight, I should have chosen survival. Hard year, lots of lessons, coming out stronger because of it.

This year, I am choosing the word together. I consider myself to be a strong and independent person and love conquering things on my own. Although I consider these to be positive characteristics, it sometimes means that I have a hard time asking/receiving help and relying on others (insert Scott nodding emphatically here). This year, I hope to embrace the help and the cooperation with others and yes, even embrace relying on others to get what I need and/or want. I want my word to not only be an adjective that describes my marriage and my family, but I want it to be a living, breathing action that I put effort into on a regular basis.

Together with my husband, I want to grow our marriage and focus on what WE need, not just what our children need on a daily basis. I want to work on who I am as a wife and a partner, so it will help us be together and live together peacefully and joyfully.

As most Mamas can attest to, time away from the house and the family to connect with other females can be the most healing thing we do with our free minutes. This year, I want to focus on intentionally setting up dates with my ladies and together, we can fill up our tanks and be the best wives, mamas, human beings we can be.

Coming up in February, we have an important court date where the outcome COULD be that our wonders are legally free. I won’t get to be part of the court proceedings as I will be testifying at some point during the trial. Being okay with not being in the courtroom as the single most important decision is being argued and facts presented is going to be extremely hard for me. I have to trust that our team of social workers, lawyers, GAL’s and commissioner will all work together and put the needs of our little wonders truly at the center of the proceedings. I have to rely on others to fight for our forever and this week will prove to be one of the biggest tests to my faith I have encountered so far in my 33 years of life.

As a follow-up to those court proceedings, my greatest wish is that we get to work towards finally being a forever family (in the legal sense). Our case getting turned over to adoption would mean being together as parents and kiddos for the rest of our lives – and there is no greater together than that.

The foundation to all of this will be me knowing that I cannot alone do this life. I will rely on my faith and my belief in a God that has a plan for me, my marriage, and my future family. Together in my faith journey, I want to surrender my control through prayer, some meditation, and quiet time to invite in His plan and His grace.

And just because this last portion of the post was so serious, I love this sweet little robot rendition of “Together”, a childhood classic. What’s your word for 2016? Leave it in the comments below because we all know putting it in writing (okay into cyberspace) makes it all happen magically and just as you planned…..yep. Just like that.