January 15: A Year in the Life of Me

Today marks the day that I posted my very first #adayinthelifeofme picture on Facebook last year. I cannot believe that a year has gone by already, but what's more, I cannot believe that I actually managed to stick with something, consistently, for a year. Can there just be a round of applause for that, please??? For the undisciplined, inconsistent soul that I am, this is quite the accomplishment.

But this is where it starts to get a little weird. Do you know where you were, or what you did on January 15th last year? For most people it would have to be a day of great significance to stand out in their mind as a specific memory. It seems, though, that if you put together a photo collage, you remember, as well. I remember where I was and what I did on a random, ordinary day in January last year:

Lots of snuggles with my almost two-month-old. The middles played Play-doh and jumped off chairs because we were cooped up inside, while I drank coffee, fed the baby, and folded laundry. I was also obsessed with buffalo chicken at that point and made it often, including that night for dinner. Ruby also let me braid her hair for the first time ever. She was 4, so that was a big deal {for me, at least!}.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so there's an 8,000 word essay right there about that day. Pictures convey so much more then words ever could, and they have the power to transform the mundane into something beautiful. The ordinary into timeless, vivid memories. Just like I remember that cold, mid-January day last year, I remember all the rest. The pictures bring back countless memories of the days in which they're contained. 

Looking back over the highlights of our year in the beautiful photo book that my husband made for me, I was moved to tears as the weight and significance of the myriad of pictures sunk in. What started out as just a fun way to use my new photo collage app has become so much more. 

This is my life. 

My moments. 

My time. 

A photo-journal of my life on a daily basis, laid out in the form of a book. I can literally flip back through the days of the last year as I flip the pages. Those are my babies, who have grown up so much. Those are my tasks, my messes, my struggles, my victories. Books I've read, music I've heard, podcasts I've listened to. Meals I've cooked, recipes I've tried. Moments I've celebrated, people I've loved. Things I've valued, choices I've made. 

A day in the life of me has now officially become a year in the life of me. If there's a disciplined bone in my body, a year in the life of me will become two, then three, then ten. More memories, more changes, more photos, more choices. All the days of our lives add up, faster it seems as we age, to become years, then decades, then a better part of a century. 

Source

Our choices add up just the same. We go through life and we make our choices, and then our choices make us. Who you are is the end result of all the choices you've made up to this point. What you do with your life today will impact the next year, and the next fifty. How will you choose to invest your time, talent, and treasure today? 

Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 

{Psalm 90:12}