I’m so thankful for quiet moments in time. Still small moments to reflect. A few minutes of uninterrupted silence from the noise of life’s disturbances. Rest for the mind and body and a break from the often unwelcome and uninvited intrusions that bombard us from within and all around.

Doesn’t everyone yearn for little pauses from the self-inflicted head-chatter, relief from routine demands, and some down time from the unexpected distractions {I call them side swipes} that life relentlessly hurls at us? I regularly seek these quiet moments, so if it means getting up earlier than planned that’s okay, I’ll take it! I’ll seize every opportunity to be engulfed in tranquility. How about you?

I must confess that for me the little whispers of quiet time in the early morning are most savored. This solitude infuses me with a sense of calm, prepares me for the day, quiets my racing thoughts and restores peace to my soul. I embrace these times joyfully, they’re my reward for rising ahead of daybreak to seize those little spaces of respite before they’re lost to the hustle and bustle of the day.

I find the stretch of time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is when I particularly seek moments for thoughtful reflection, to look back on the ending year and project forward into the year ahead. Delving deep into my mind, heart and soul, I examine myself, my life, my purpose. I relive moments in time, the happy and the sad, the triumphs and the defeats, and I seek to understand.

I look for continuity and meaning to the past year, and I always hope to discover some tiny ray of enlightenment that reassures me I lived God’s plan for me. That I went down the path He would have wanted me to take, that in some small way, I made a difference in the lives of others. That I made my life count.

2015 was a particularly challenging year for me. I lived it in constant motion … and heightened emotion. The three trips to England, my mother’s passing and concern about my Dad being alone admittedly knocked some of the stuffing out of me!

Physically drained and emotionally spent, during much of 2015 I derived strength, support, love and encouragement from my family and friends {thank God for them} and I threw myself into my husband’s arms for his comfort and reassurance. As for my weary soul? I entrusted it into the loving embrace of my Savior and I plugged into His power, His strength, His peace and His wisdom. He never failed me. He carried me in the palm of His hand.

So here we are at the end of 2015 and I’ve had time for reflection and self-examination. Definitely some ah-ha moments! Some real revelations that I’m actually excited to acknowledge. Ones that lend insight and understanding as to why I named 2016 My Year of Power Unleashed.

During my thoughtful quiet moments of reflection and soul searching I discovered a shocker about myself! Despite the busyness of my life for the last 5 years {or maybe because if it} even though I was deeply engaged in running my business and fully on in other areas, I was actually driving through life with my foot on the brake.

I was holding back, pacing myself. Imagine trying to get somewhere with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. You can only go so far. Or get this! You go flat out and just as you’re flying down the road with your hair on fire, you apply the brakes and come to a screeching halt! Ugh! I thought I was living life full-out and full-on. In retrospect I realize I wasn’t. Not that I have any regrets, I believe it was all part of the plan {it’s all about timing}and where I was probably supposed to be, but it’s just so freeing to realize that it was silly ME putting on the brakes and holding myself back! Not fully tapping into my God-given power.

You’ve got to be kidding me! I never knew that about me. Just goes to show that we can always learn something new no matter how old we are. Life is a journey with scattered milestones of learned lessons along the route and hopefully as we arrive at each one, our reward is greater insight and more wisdom.

So this is me today … a little bit more enlightened, a wee bit wiser and more excited about life than ever. My foot is off the brake and I am going flat out … opening up to full throttle. I plunge boldly into the wonderful, mysterious unknown future of 2016 with my power unleashed and my faith and trust implicit. I am tapping into the unlimited power of my Lord from where I derive all my strength. My power is finite and small. His power is infinite and immense. I am letting go and letting God more. I trust His plan for me and I allow His power to freely flow through me, because I am His, I am a child of God.

No more holding back – full speed ahead. Whoop!

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7

This poem from Marianne Williamson really speaks to me …. again!
You’ll find it published in an earlier blog from 2010.

Our Greatest Fear
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

From “Return to Love” by Marianne Williamson