P365: Dre

      2012 started with tears. I cried the first 14 days of 2012. For real. The first two weeks straight. 2012 held a lot of tears, and loss, and pain and brokenness but even through all of that I heard God speak to me more clearly than I ever have before.

And I grew.

 Last year, I learned to own my story, even the buried and forgotten parts that brought pain to me and to others. I began, in small ways, to stop believing the lies that had been my truth my whole life.
 Last year, I was broken, so that I may be healed.
This year, will be one of rebuilding, continued healing, grace, and a deep desire to live daringly, without fear. A little over a week ago I had a conversation with my mentor (holla atcha girl!) about this crazy thing that my roommate and a couple of friends were doing. Project 365. She thought it would be good for me, so did I.

So here we go.
For three hundred and sixty-five days I will  

Be intentionally thankful- whether through a thank you card, a conversation, here on this blog or just running up to someone I love and letting them know how thankful I am for them, I will acknowledge how incredibly good God is to me every day by being thankful.

  Eat breakfast-gross. I want to be healthy physically as we'll as mentally. It is after all the most important meal of the day.  

Give something away- I have too much. Time and stuff. I want to live a simple life, one where I am not tied by or to the things I own. So if I have something you want, let me know. It's yours (maybe).

 Practice being vulnerable-this is, besides the breakfast thing, probably the most difficult for me. I'm not really a sharer, but if I learned one thing last year it's that I can't do it alone. I NEED relationships. Deep, meaningful, messy, authentic relationships. This requires the giving of myself, letting others in, and showing up and allowing myself to be seen.
I don't always know what this looks like, and it scares the crap out of me but I'm committed to this because it will help me along to becoming the woman that I was created to be.

 I think this blog is a good place to start. Posting here once a week for the whole world to see feels pretty dang vulnerable. Because I'm not really a writer, and I don't even really like it all that much, and to be perfectly honest, I don't really believe that anyone could possibly care what I have to say. I'm going to say it anyway.

So here we go. Today I ate a banana, gave some pizza and some time to a homeless man, am showing you a little of me, and saying thank you to Allison, Christie and Cathi for allowing me to invite myself into this project and walking beside me through life.

 2013 started with laughter. I haven't cried once allll year (ok maybe once, but they were happy tears)! 2013 will still hold pain and loss and sorrow, but there will also be joy and beauty and grace and love. And through it all, God will speak.

 And I will grow.