My 2022 Year in Review
With 2022 coming to a close and 2023 beginning, I thought it would be fun to do a little recap of my year and what a wild year it has been!
The beginning of this year started with me ending a job. This was a big decision but one I knew I had to make. I wasn’t loving what I was doing and where I was. It was difficult, but ultimately I knew it was God’s plan. I had my family supporting me and I knew that God was guiding me.
I was glad to be still working with a couple families taking care of their special little ones. I was blessed in the spring to care for a newborn and have loved every second of watching her grow up this year. Her big brothers are two of the sweetest boys and we have shared many memories together. This little precious blessing was the light that kept me going as I was figuring things out what I was to be doing for the rest of the year.
I knew in my heart that now was my time to start something I had been dreaming of for so long. That something was this very blog. It took me a while to come up with a name that fit everything that I want to share on here. One day, I was looking at my calendar for the year and a certain bike picture jumped out at me. Over the top of this bike was the quote “Love the Journey.” This spoke to me for so many reasons.
A bike to me symbolizes balance as well as joy, freedom, and faith. All these words have held deeper meanings to me over the past few years. A bike also symbolizes a journey. The basket on the front symbolizes all the things that I love and bring with me on this journey. All the joys that keep me going- teaching, writing, reading, creating, homeschooling, caring for the little ones. All the things that I love, overflowing from my basket -as the verse says: ‘Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow!’ Philippians 4:4 TPT
I put all this together and “A Basketful of Joy” was born. A bike became a part of my logo and ever since I have loved seeing them everywhere I go. I worked hard on starting this blog from scratch. I learned all that I could and I learned to ‘love the journey.’ It took me a few months before I was ready to launch it soon after my 28th birthday.
I was also blessed during this month to go on a quick getaway with my Mama and sisters. We got to walk the beach and splash in the ocean waves. The spring weather and the sunsets were just what we needed. I came back ready to work on my blog. I poured hours into it. I wrote post and came up with ideas. But I needed something else to do at the same time. I needed more encouragement. I needed to know what direction I was heading and how to share what I was really saying.
So I took some more time and did a bit of soul searching. I wanted to be excited to share and bring others the joy that I knew I had hidden deep inside. The joy of being homeschooled and of teaching my younger siblings. The joy of creating and learning. The joy of crafting and the joy of caring for the little ones. I knew I needed something more to do on the side that got me excited to come home and write.
I started looking around for other things to do alongside this blogging commitment. I got out my camera more and dabbled at photography. I joined homeschool pages and answered questions moms were having about curriculum. I volunteered to help with a homeschool co-op. Nothing really was panning out, but I knew God had a plan for me. I was hungry for something more. I poured my heart out to Him. I told Him what I was looking for and what opportunities that I saw in front of me, but that I didn’t know what He wanted for me. I told Him what I really wanted to do, what would inspire me. I asked Him to reveal His plan for me and I opened my heart to what it was.
Not more than a day later, I answered an ad for a nanny position to four homeschooled kiddos. A little more than a month later, I got the job. My life was forever changed and I knew that this was where I was supposed to be. Over the last six months, I have come so far and learned so much. I have made the best memories and had the best of times. I love each of the families that I work for currently and all the kiddos that have touched my heart. They keep me smiling as I love watching their faces light up as they discover new projects to do and new things to learn. Seeing how much they love me and knowing how much I love them inspires me to be better. I have rediscovered what joys I had in my childhood and have loved teaching and sharing a few of my favorite things. It really is amazing to live each day knowing I am being who God has called me to be, and doing what He has created me to do.
This has inspired me to share more here of what I had growing up. I remember more of my life as a homeschool student and the fun that I had with my siblings and the things I loved to learn. So throughout these last few months I have been more focused on what I want to share and how to share it. I love getting input from my family as they come up with ideas for what I could write! It has been a wonderful journey that I truly am loving! I’m so excited to see what this next year will bring.
Life has been exciting in other areas as well. My family and I took on another project this spring when we invested in chickens and ducks. We have loved seeing these fluffy little feathered friends grow up and serve us well. As my younger siblings were quite a bit younger when we had our first batch of birds, we have enjoyed sharing with them the care and upkeep of this colorful bunch.
We have also loved visiting a nearby farm and seeing the new life in the bouncing and thriving little filly and colt that joined the farm family. We were sad when we lost the best tomcat anyone could ask for earlier this year. After many months and lots of tears, we welcomed our newest little girl – a sassy little calico with a bunch of energy. She can be the sweetest thing when she wants to be. But she annoys our collie to the utmost. He is the best sport though and honestly wouldn’t hurt a fly. He is the greatest with the little ones and I love watching the two year olds fall in love with him.
This 2022 year has been full of a lot of highs and a lot of lows. There have been tears of sorrow and tears of joy. My family and I have been through a lot, but we are sticking together seeking His will always. I pray for peace and healing every day and I lean into Him for inspiration and ideas.
My prayer is that in this new year I can bring so many blessings to you through what I have to share here at A Basketful of Joy. I hope to inspire and encourage you as you pedal on your journey, balancing the joys of life. From homeschooling ideas to crafting projects and even some other fun stuff, I want to bring you a smile of encouragement as well.
Please share how your year has gone and what you would like to see here on the blog. I am excited to see what other prayers God is answering and what amazing plans He has for us this new year.
May God bless you now and always.
Happy New Year 2023!!
My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!
John 15:11 TPT
