A Toast

by Judy

To my loving family of FOL sisters, thank you for being an inspiration to me every day.  Your words and your images, your caring comments and funny thoughts, not only make this blog the special place that it is, but make for a wonderful little family.

To our FOL readers and followers, thank you for pushing us to try to create the best for all of you,
without you all, we wouldn't be here.  Knowing that we have connected with you, that we've struck a chord, so to speak, means the world to us here.  When you share your comments and your images with us it makes our hearts sing.  Thank you for all that you give us.

A toast to health, happiness, creativity, growth, sharing, and more caring than all of your hearts can handle!

Happy New Year friends!

Saying Goodbye to 2015

by Kelly

It's that time of year.

I totally agree with Terri's post from yesterday...so grateful for this week between Christmas and New Year's to regroup.  I am particularly thankful for a quiet week at home to sort of wrap up 2015 before moving on to next year.  Time to think about what worked and what I could have done better.

This also marks the end of my third consecutive year of taking a photo every day.  It might seem strange, but rather than feeling like just one more thing to mark of my to-do list, daily photography has become a habit that helps ground me. Daily photography has become a practice in mindfulness and it helps to keep me from getting lost in the shuffle. Photography has become a daily meditation on what is good and beautiful in a world that sometimes feels dark and overwhelming.

As I look towards 2016, I'm wondering how I can continue to evolve as a photographer. How I can keep my photography fresh and inspiring.

Like always, I am so very grateful for this community for giving me a place to share my photos and my journey. Wishing you all every joy and blessing as we move into the new year.

Love, Kelly

New Year, New Beginning, New Intentions

by Leigh

Sometimes I dread a new year.  I start thinking about all the things I did wrong the previous year and I assume that I will repeat those same mistakes.  I look back and see patterns in my behavior and wonder how I can change those….or if I will be able to change those.  But then I decided that I needed to change my perspective.  I needed to see the new year in a….well, in a new way.  I've always seen the new year as just a continuation of the old...like a loop in my mind.  I recently read an article from Dr. Wayne Dyer about resolutions in the new year.  And here's what he said, 

"Forget about deciding on the first day of January how you will be conducting your life in September, some nine months later.  Any resolution that involves making decisions about future behaviors is a waste of time.  It also reinforces the self defeating notion of living in the future. For 2015, wouldn't you rather live in the present moment?"

A-ha! light bulb moment for me!  Each day is a fresh new beginning unlike the one prior and unlike the next one.  I have a fresh set of 24 hours in which to live...the only day like this one.  I can make a resolution that I will spend less time on social media this year and I will get myself more organized and I will workout six days a week, etc…But as Dr. Dyer points out we still have to live our lives just like everyone else: one day at a time.  He went on to say that, 

"You can only live minute to minute.  You can certainly use up your present moments thinking about what you'll be doing in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that you can only live in the now.  The important question to ask yourself is: How am I going to live in the present moment this year?"

Instead of spending my days thinking about my patterns in the past, I want to make changes so that I can live life to it's fullest.  RIGHT NOW!  I am going to do this by setting an intention...by choosing a word to guide me daily and that word is focus.   Yesterday my focus was on organization as I packed away Christmas and decluttered the house.  Today my focus is on business as I get back into my work routine at the office.  Tomorrow morning I will let my early morning thoughts dictate my focus for the day.

"Always let the new you make the decision, and then you'll be living in the present moment."

Have you picked your word for this year?