Christmas Blessings

It is really crazy how quickly this year has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that the fireworks were lighting up the night sky declaring that the new year was going to begin. 2013 has definitely been one whirlwind of a year. Many ups and downs, but in the end, it has helped me to look at things from a new perspective.

To me, Christmas has always been the start of a new year. The holiday season is my favorite time of year, and a time where peace, hope, joy, and love decorate the wonders of the season. I couldn't be happier to be home right now, and am grateful for the time spent with family. I hope this time of year brings you the same peace, love, hope, and joy!

One of my favorite things about this time of year is that I start and end a new year-long project. My project for 2012 was to take one picture a day, caption it, then put it in an album. It was a sort of virtual diary. And I still love looking back at each of the pictures stored on my computer to see what I was doing a year ago! It was a pretty neat project, so I made it a goal to complete a year-long project every year.

For 2013, I decided to make a "Blessings Jar". Of course this was an idea I pulled off of Pinterest late in 2012, and determined that it would be worthwhile for this year. So on January first, I bought a small jar, and began to write down the blessings that happened each day. At first the blessings were simple, "I'm grateful for the sunshine that is pouring down on the earth." But as the year progressed, I found myself turning different situations around. When tough events happened, it helped me to recognize the blessings that are found in each day! When there was sadness some of my blessings evolved into, "I'm blessed that I can hug my brother today." I dated each blessing slip and folded it up in the jar. Now that the year is almost over, I am looking forward to dumping out each blessing and reading them! Some of them are silly, some of them sad. But all-in-all, each one documents some important moment and memory. I am excited to walk down memory lane!!

If you are looking for a good and simple way to document simple moments, I would highly recommend the "Blessings Jar". You could even name it "The Jar of Memories!" I have absolutely fallen in love with this project. Throughout 2013 it has helped me to reflect on the events that have occurred.

So what is next up for 2014 you say? Sometime this past October I found a book at Barnes & Noble about a Prayer Box. So for 2014, I will be writing down prayers that I have and put them in the box. I'm also looking forward to this project!!

As you can tell, I love documenting moments. I love taking pictures, journaling, and blogging. One of my other favorite journals is called the Q&A a Day: 365 Questions, 5 years, 1,825 Answers. Given to me by one of my friends upon my high school graduation several years ago, this journal has never left me. It has cute quips and questions for each day of the year that you have to answer. As the years roll by, you can see how your answers change. It is quite clever! It also makes for a delightful and surprising gift. I would highly recommend it. You can find it here.

Hopefully I have given you some ways that you can reflect upon the blessings that are spread throughout your life. These projects have definitely helped me to count my blessings, and have given me a new and positive outlook on life.
I really hope that you have had a delightful Christmas and Holiday season.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!!

It really is, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Holiday season is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. I love the lights, the reunions, the warmth of the fire, the hot chocolate, and the incredible music. I love the merriment and the excitement. But most of all, I love spending this time with friends and family.

Campus is all Decorated!

This weekend was the annual Christmas concert at Luther. Four nights of radiant Christmas music streaming from the choirs and orchestra. Every year our 2,000 some seat auditorium is packed for all five performances as music comes from the incredible talent of the musicians. I am in awe of the talent of every student here. It is a blessing to be a part of one of the choirs here, and I cannot begin to express my gratitude for my friends and family, and the opportunities that this school has given me.

Luther has become a home to me. It has given me so many opportunities that I never expected to find in college. Dreams that I never knew I wanted, have become my goals. So in summary, the last show of our Christmas at Luther performance tonight was bittersweet. Bittersweet because this marks the final year that I will be involved in this Christmas show, (because I will be student teaching next fall, and unable to be in choir), and bittersweet because I have come full circle over the last three years. The past three years have been full of ups and down, growth, and many many memories that I will truly cherish. I still have two semesters of school left, but I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by.

Maybe it is just this time of year to bring on sentimentality, but never the less, I have to say how grateful I am for this school. It has definitely been an adventure these last few years!

This weekend was also wonderful because my family was able to fly out to see the Saturday night show. It was so wonderful to spend time with them and to spend another Christmas season celebrating with the people who matter most. I love my family, and would not be who I am without them! They are such a huge blessing upon my life and I am grateful everyday for their love and support. We ended up going to the Norwegian museum in town, the Vesterheim, and saw the Jan Brett Exhibit. It was a marvelous exhibit!

The World of Jan Brett

The snow started falling today as we performed the last show of Christmas at Luther. It will be sad not returning to the stage for Christmas at Luther next year, however I am looking forward to student teaching and to seeing what the future has to offer. It is such a season of Hope!
For now, the memories of the past three years of Christmas at Luther live on. As the music fades and drifts away in to the snow-filled sky, the memory lives on, and the future calls.