What Will Be

Almost four years ago, a new journey began for me. Sufficed to say, it's not a trip I would have chosen to take. But like everything in life, good comes with the bad and, thankfully, there have been a lot of blessings.

After over 6-months of chemo, I was given a reprieve in December 2009 and was told that it was likely that I would be able to be off the poison for up to a year. It's been three years and this Thursday, I begin a new regiment of chemo. This time around, I asked for a port so I won't need to be stuck with a needle 6 times a month.

To say that it's not the way I wanted to start the year is an understatement. I've not really been looking forward to 2013 as I have no idea what it may bring. Truth is, I really don't want to think ahead. Still, it helps to make plans for the future.

Things I want to do:
1. Select my one word that will be my word for the year. It was a difficult selection. Joy, love, hope, faith, journey, persevere, fight, act, serve and believe were in the running, but none of these truly struck a chord in me. As I was driving to Greg's today, embrace seemed to embody all that I want 2013 to be.
2. Participate in 365 where I purposefully take at lease one photo a day representing something special in the day.
3. Participate in 52 weeks of me in which I take a self-portrait.
4. Buy a polaroid. Learn to use it
5. Buy 620 film and shoot with my dad's old Argus 75.
6. Write, every day. Write with purpose and meaning. Write a book.
7. Travel. Drive up North for a week and if possible, across the country.

Those are just a few of the things I want to do this year. The good news is that I'm back to feeling like making plans, like doing things which is part of the reason I selected embrace as my word for the year. I want to embrace my loved ones, embrace life, embrace the things that I feel passionate about, embrace things that come my way, even if they are unexpected, embrace the purpose that God has determined my life to be.

It was easy to do today, surrounded by family and friends, armed with my camera, filled with the Spirit of the Lord. It was a good day, a start of a good year. Unexpected, but good. I am so blessed, so very blessed. I pray that this will be a good year from start to finish. I pray that I get to finish it and celebrate another Christmas and another New Year.