my quote for 2012

I am fully aware that we are a month and a half into 2012 and that most people have already established their goals and/or resolutions. A few years ago a friend of mine introduced me to the One Word Goal. Instead of making a list of resolutions that will most likely be ignored, she said she picks one word that she wants to focus on throughout the year. I instantly fell in love with this idea. Another friend of mine, Lara from less cake {more frosting} did a whole One Word segment on her blog last month. She had guest bloggers share their one word goal for 2012. Each one was so inspiring and I spent all month trying to decide on my one word for the year. I couldn’t narrow it down, but after talking with my best friend and fellow blogger Alison last week I came up with a slightly different idea. Instead of one word, I’ve decided to go with a quote.

I feel like this quote by Joseph Campbell was written especially for me, it’s absolutely perfect. It will most likely become my life quote, not just my 2012 quote.

“We must be willing to let go

of the life we have planned,

so as to have the life

that is waiting for us.”

Life doesn’t go according to plan, as we all know. But it seems that when things go wrong it always knocks the wind out of us. My mom passed away after a six year battle with cancer. Because of the advanced stage of the cancer we all knew the outcome. I’d lay on her bed and we’d talk into the wee hours of the night. We talked about everything: hopes, dreams, friends, boys, memories, even death.  I spent those years making the most of my time with my mom and preparing myself for “that day”. The day we all knew was coming. When “that day” came I felt like someone pulled the rug out from under me, after a sucker punch to the gut and a kick in the face with a golf shoe. All of my so-called preparing was for not. I’d been preparing in the wrong way, there was nothing I could have done to make it any easier. I learned that you can’t prepare for these kind of trials because there’s no way to prepare for the intense emotions that come with them. I also learned that it was actually my mom who had been preparing me. She’d been preparing me my whole life by the incredible example that she was. Her example of unconditional love, selflessness and positive outlook on life (even in terrible situations) was the strength I needed to get through some of the darkest times in my life.

I’m sure we’ve all made a life plan at some point. Probably even more than once. Ya know, the way we see or expect our life to carry out. I don’t know too many people who are right on track with their life plan. I certainly didn’t think I would have lost both my parents before I was thirty. The flaw in making life plans is that none of us ever factor in trials or failures or bumps in the road. But we can decide what kind of person we will be when those bumps in the road come along. I hope that I can grow and learn from them, that I can keep pulling myself up and moving forward in life. It’s how we bounce back and overcome trials that determine who we really are, because, unfortunately, we’ll never be free of trials…unless we move to Disneyland. But they won’t let you, I’ve looked into it.

I can honestly say that my struggles have helped me become who I am today and I am a better person because of them. And just so you know, it has taken me years, years, to be able to say that and have it be true. I spent quite a few years feeling cheated and wondering why my life wasn’t  ”working out”. It has taken me a long time and a lot of hard work and faith to finally understand that my life is happening exactly as it should be.

This will be going in my dining room as soon as it’s finished.

Please feel free to download for yourself. This file is sized at 16 x 20 and will not print optimally at a bigger size, but you can print it smaller if you like.

Until next time….

-Meg