My life now - my present

My LOAD for the day: I finally followed up on Stacy Julian's challenge to reflect on "the present" we did back in October 2008.

Sources: flowers - Got flowers; ribbon - unknown; ink - color box; punch - mcGill and fiskars; letter stickers - unknown and dollarama;

Journalling reads:

In October 2008 Stacy Julian challenged her blog readers to make ourselves a “present” where we would take a look around us and document our lives at the present time. We were to make a mini book and promise to carry it with us for a year – taking it out to remember and reflect often. In one year we would document what we've observed and celebrate what we've learned. As she says, “It's never too late to give yourself a "present" so you can more fully appreciate the inevitable flow of life”.

{Stacy} says “I suppose if we had a motto, it would be this: You can glance back anytime and look ahead everyday, but there's only one present, so choose to be where you are, now. Today.”

My mini book noted the following:
· It’s all about family. We are so blessed – happy – healthy – home
· Appreciating life for its beauty, its colour, its peace in our lives
· Baby steps – you can do anything for 15 minutes – routine-routine-routine. Thanks for helping get rid of the CHAOS
· Routines – dishes, lunches…gotta love it!
· [kids] getting so big!
· Learning – growing
· Always someone here
· What would we do without friends?
· Life has it’s bumps and bruises, its ups and downs but it’s amazing what can be created in the process
· We keep on moving forward and keep out lives full of colour and life!

So here we are a year later. It was a good exercise – I did carry the book in my purse and looked at it often. The kids saw themselves too. Seeing the everyday makes us realize that while there have been and will continue to be changes, more often than not, things remain more the same. Routine is a big part of our life and we take whatever life deals us. God is a constant and gives us the tools to face the days. We have loved and we have lost. We are above the CHAOS. We are still growing and learning. All in all I LOVE OUR LIFE!