Sometimes when writing a daily blog we struggle because we feel like our subject matter needs to be worthy of actually writing.  You might be saying to yourself, “duh.”  The reality is though when you put yourself out there to write 5 days/week you don’t always have something worth saying.  Having two of us certainly helps, but even when we rub all of our brain cells together we often come up empty.  Such has been our struggle as of late. We have waffled between not feeling creative in the midst of so much darkness in the world, having turmoil in our personal lives or just not being at a place to share some of things that are going on.  One thing we have learned from some of our favorite authors and our own personal experience is to write from the scar and not the wound.  Personally, I think it depends on the wound.  If it is a minor abrasion, I feel like I can write about it and have often felt the process of writing for all of you therapeutic.  However, if it’s a deep, oozing, painful wound that isn’t healing then time is definitely needed.

I started looking through our blogs, other blogs and social media and you know what?  Some of our best blogs and others haven’t been about anything spectacular, they have just been real, honest and vulnerable in a way that resonated with you.  So, I started thinking about what is happening in my life that doesn’t irritate my open wounds, feels something like gratitude (because Thursday is about being thankful) and still allows you to take a peak into my life and maybe say, “yeah, I get that.”

So, here goes my stream of consciousness, first dip into gratitude for the week and the new year:

I am so grateful for a much-needed break from writing that left me refreshed if not yet completely creative, a holiday with my family that felt like an appetizer rather than a full course meal, but it was beautiful and we were all together and it SNOWED! Changes that left me realizing that my beautiful daughters aren’t kids anymore, but life is still awesome and amazing and sometimes hard on the heart (CAUTION:  TREAD LIGHTLY HERE), and I’m still learning, I’m grateful for holiday meals with some of the best people we know, so thankful that my middle daughter made it back to Nashville safely while driving across country with her boyfriend and dog even if she did manage to kill the car battery less than one hour after being back home (yes, that actually happened), that my oldest had a safe and AMAZING trip to NYC for New Year’s Eve and was able to cross that off her bucket list, SO incredibly grateful for being able to celebrate 25 years with my hubby who really is amazing, patient, kind, loving and just all the things a girl could ask for (and a few I didn’t), for my youngest for always showing us not to take life too seriously by telling jokes and making us laugh everyday, for my oldest who is currently packing to move across the country for graduate school (CAUTION:  OPEN WOUND), for my friends, family, our health and a brand new year laid out before us.

So many things to be thankful for as we march into this new year together and at the same time I realize so many of us are hurting.  Don’t take any of it for granted. Let 2018 be the year that we take it all in; the good, the bad, the hard, the wonderful and everything in between.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G