Hello, 2023! – Weekly Reflection

Hello, friends, and Happy New Year!

Update…

First things first…my first video isn’t quite ready yet. It’s almost there; honestly, it’s been so fun working on it. I really enjoyed filming things and putting the video together so far, except for sometimes when the video transfers over to my laptop completely over-saturated. I’m working on figuring that out and hopefully, I can share my video with you all very soon. I may just end up cutting some parts out but it’s a learning curve, right? Maybe I’ll combine the first two weeks? Either way, you’ll know when the first video is ready!

Much Needed Family Time

This first week of Christmas tide has actually been pretty great. I was at home, with my parents, all week! My mom had the week off so we spent a lot of time together which was so much fun! Usually, my time at home is my chance to be alone since both of my parents work during the day. I look forward to having the house to myself most of the time. But I loved being able to spend so much time with my parents this week, especially with it being the holiday season. I also got to spend some quality time with my niece which I NEVER get.

Since my family is in Dallas and I’m in Austin, I get to see them maybe once a month and I rarely get more than an hour or two with my niece. But this week, I got a full day with her while my brother and sister-in-law went to work. Even though she’s still a tiny baby, we had so much fun! We played together, watched movies, I even got to try some things out for the babies at school with her. It was such a beautiful time. I’m always a little weary around her because I don’t get a lot of time with her so I’m always a bit unsure of what she thinks of me but after this week, I definitely feel the love!

I also got to see a lot of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Of course with it being the holidays, we spent most of them together, playing card games, listening to music, and, of course, eating delicious food! I’m at the point in my life where I’m technically an adult but I still feel like a kid around family so it usually feels a little weird because I never know who to hang out with. But this time was different! I hung out with both the adults and the kids and it just felt right either way! Needless to say, there was so much love going around this week and it was exactly what I needed.

Prayer Life This Week

With everything going on and lots of family visits, it was a bit of a struggle to follow a prayer routine this week. I haven’t been able to keep a consistent prayer routine up for a while, as I’ve mentioned before, and the craziness of this week hasn’t made it easy to keep one yet. But, I will say, I have definitely been praying more this week than I have been.

My prayer has definitely consisted more of informal prayer than sit-down prayer but I’m still proud of myself for trying and I know the Lord is too. However, I was able to do some prayer journaling this week and I was able to discern my saint and word of the year for 2023 (more on that in an upcoming post)! I have to say, I truly think filming the video has provided some motivation to pray more which is what my goal was. I do go back to work tomorrow and looking at my planner, it’s going to be a busy week. Hopefully, I can keep it up and start to really make it into a routine!

I also started listening to the Abundantly Yours podcasts and I love it! I’ve only heard the two recent episodes but I already know it’s something I want to keep listening to. Check it out if you have a chance!

Highs, Lows, G-Mos?

High: I would definitely say my high is just the insane amount of love I was able to experience with my family this week! It really was such a gift.

Low: Though this week was fun, I’m actually a bit tired! I wish I had an extra day before jumping into a busy work week but we’ll just have to go with the flow!

God Moment: Discerning my word of the year and starting She’s Making Room! God really turned me around on Christmas and I can feel the changes in my heart happening already.

Thanks for Checking In!

If you’re reading this, I just want to say thank you for checking in! Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to not only renew my faith but just enjoy life better than I had been. I will be praying for you all as well and I hope you have a beautiful week. Please stay tuned for upcoming posts!

P.S. If you haven’t already, make sure to send up a quick prayer for Pope Benedict XVI who passed yesterday, December 31, 2022. May his soul rest in peace.

The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.

Pope Benedict XVI