Happy New Year!

Sorry I took a week off for Christmas. I was busy spending time with my mom and husband. It was a really good week, and I will share a little bit about that next time.

But for the New Year, I just want to share some of my reflections about my life. I used to run a boarding house for a ballet school. I didn't share a lot about it online for the sake of the students' privacy, but it was a huge part of my life. How could it not be? It was a live-in position, so my job and my personal life were all rolled up together.

For two years, I lived with a group of teenagers who technically weren't my children, but it certainly felt like they were to me. I cooked for them, took them to doctors and orthodontists, rejoiced in their achievements, and hurt for their disappointments. These teens were in professional ballet training, where they worked for 5-7 hours every day on their strength, flexibility, and technique, but they were also working hard on their academic studies, so there was a lot of pressure on them sometimes, and I did my best to help them through that.

Leaving earlier this year was extremely bittersweet. There were a lot of good reasons why I needed to move on to the next phase of my life, but leaving my kids was so hard. I still love them as if they were my own, but I don't hear from them as if they were. That's not terribly surprising because they all have families who they love and who love them. It's completely natural that a grown-up who is not a relative isn't the first person they think to talk to, but I miss them, and it can be hard to not be as important to someone as they are to you.

messages from a very sweet girl

from a trip to the lake

tie-dying adventures

from a trip to the beach

I could regret loving them so much or try to stop now, but these kids mean the world to me. I love the beauty they create when they dance.
I love that we started doing art time together to help all of us destress. I love the memories of celebrating their birthdays and decorating for Christmas way too early and trying to make their favorite foods. I love the people that they are and the goals that they are working towards. I'm so proud of them.

This gained a place of honor while I stayed and came with me when I left.

I couldn't help but save this illustrated grocery list.

And love isn't finite.  It doesn't run out when you give it away. Love only grows when you share it. You never really know when the love you give and the things you do will make a difference in someone else's life. Or maybe loving them will change you.

I love these wrappers from my chocolates on New Year's Eve

Now go and sow some goodness!