Discovering my True Self

Nine and a half months ago my friends and I embarked on a journey.  It began as a journey with the simple goal of getting our mom bodies a little less mom-ish.  It was a way for us to connect outside of our kids and make time for that person inside of us that often gets blurred between our mom and wife selves.

Little did I know that the pure act of putting twenty dollars in a mason jar would change me so profoundly.

As we began our workout challenge, we naturally started to notice what we expected.  Our energy was increasing. Our clothes fit better than they had in years, and we were feeling more confident than we had felt in quite some time.  

What we didn't expect was that after the dust had settled, exercise became less of a chore and more of a part of our life style. Our journey had become much more than winning the money in the mason jar.  The money didn't matter any more.  We didn't need it to keep going.  We were doing it all on our own, because we knew we could. We began to push ourselves to do things we had never done before.  Through this I began to realize an undiscovered and untapped part of myself that I didn't know was there. I became aware of the possibilities.  I realized that somewhere deep inside of me was a strong woman.   

Not a single one of us anticipated what this journey would have in store for us, and we had no idea how it would change us. 

We often refer to this last year as Year 31.  The year that we all learned something new about ourselves. 

For each of us, the theme of this past year has looked a little bit different.  It was the year of saying yes, the year of living intentionally, the year of giving and choosing life. 

For me, Year 31, was about becoming aware of the possibilities. A year to discover that there may be more to me than just being a mom, a wife and a teacher.  A year to prepare me for the journey to come.

As September 14th quickly approaches and year 31 comes to a close, I look forward to Year 32, the year that I discover my true self.  The year that I discover who I have always been and who God intends me to be.

I am profoundly grateful for this journey.  It is softening the parts of my heart that have been hardened by the world.  It is challenging me to pursue wholeness.  It is a blessing.

I am even more grateful for the dear friends who on December 6th, 2010 agreed to put twenty dollars in a jar.  Dear friends who say yes and challenge me to grow. 

Kt, Kmac and Bethany, thank you!  I love you dearly and cannot wait to see what Year 32 has is store.