A New Year, Reflecting on the Past Year and Choosing Peace at Robyn’s Nest of Hope

25 Jan A New Year, Reflecting on the Past Year and Choosing Peace at Robyn’s Nest of Hope

With the new year unfolding, many people start working towards resolutions. At the start of the new year, people share what their goals or resolutions are for the year. I have always been a goal-driven person. Achieving has been a motivator for myself in schooling and in activities I enjoy pursuing. Whether it be goals set for me to reach or goals I set for myself, I always tried to attain them. As I grew older, my motivations became greater working in education, counseling and developing interests outside of work. Currently, a present goal is to continue to write. The past year doors have opened to write for publications and I am grateful for the opportunities to write to encourage others.

My word this year is peace. I need peace daily, in making decisions and accepting the day to day. Peace to me is quiet and serene. The rain falling, the sunshine beaming, kids laughing, drinking coffee, watching a tv show, working in my art room creating, resting and spending time with friends are some ways I achieve peace. When starting the new year, some people have specific goals such as a fitness goal. For myself, I choose a word and try to focus on that word in my life.

This past year, I started to write due to a friend’s encouragement. At first, I had the viewpoint I could not write through the grief. I had always enjoy writing, but “Where do I begin?” was my inside voice speaking. Through research and reading, I started the journey of writing on my site at www.robynnestofhope.com which then opened doors to write for Share Magazine along with a guest post for The Lewis Note.

Share is a non-profit organization that provides support groups and written materials for families that have lost a child through miscarriage or stillbirth. Through writing for Share, I offer the perspective of a parent’s grief while also striving to say you are not alone. When we went through losing our son, I felt alone. People surrounded us with love and care. We knew we were cared for, but until you been on the side of loss as a parent it is something I wish was not experienced by anyone. On those nights, when I couldn’t sleep and my mind raced, I began looking for resources for moms on-line. The resources were from a medical perspective, which I appreciated and were needed. There was a need though for writing to express to other families the sorrow, the daily work of getting up each day and working on finding joy despite the pain.

This time last year, the writing bug just started to take effect. With learning anything new, it takes time. Throughout this process, I have learned I don’t have to have it all figured out. I need to learn from others who have started endeavors on their own, make my style personal and jump in while taking the journey in stride. We all want approval and likes via social media. If we try to attain approval from others, we will not be satisfied. Joy is experienced in our endeavors when we take that jump, trust that whomever needs what we’re offering will be blessed and is also obtained when we enjoy our gifts we share with others. The other week ago I saw our son Drew experience joy as he just rested in the snow after taking many jumps with his sled and snowboard.

What I have learned is that things resonate more with others. At times, I write about loss and grief and hopefully that helps someone who is experiencing that aspect in their life. At other times, I write about aspects of life that are important to me…family, friends, hobbies, faith, laughter, decorating and everyday life. The past few years, I have been interested in vintage markets, decor and creating. I have met some awesome creators who inspire me through their creativity. At times, I write about one of their pieces or items and try to connect them to theme I am writing for that week.

As the new year continues to unfold, think about a word that you want to focus on. Try to learn about what you want to pursue and jump in. Even if you don’t make it big by the world’s standards, you make it big by going after something you want to pursue. If you feel joy in pursuing an endeavor, that is your success. If others find your talent or gifts and share sentiments with you that is success too. As I continue to write, I am working on bettering my craft through participating with a community of writers called Hope Writers. Hope Writers is a community of writers who write across different genres that network, support and grow together.

What is your word for the year? How do you find peace in your journey? Who has inspired you to try something new?