Cozy has become such an endearing little word around our house. When J was two-ish he started asking, "Wan' cozy up with me?" and a favorite phrase was born.  Cozy often describes how I feel in our home (although sometimes crazy would be more apt.) Cozy seems warm and inviting and friendly and homey. I wish I could focus more on the coziness of life and less on the craziness.  To look more at the blessings which God has wrapped me up in, snug and tight, and less at the things that bring me confusion and dread. 

I hope to spend my time here wandering through the many things that make up my life, and sharing them in this little online journal. Inspiration, stories, pictures, growth, and my journey in general. I've always found that journaling helps me focus more on what's important and where I'm headed.  It helps me remember where I'm headed when I get off course. And it just helps me embrace the journey a bit more, both good and bad.

Embrace the Journey is the phrase I came up with to describe what I'd like to do in my life.  My mantra, as some would call it, although that sounds a little new-agey to me.  But if I could only Embrace the Journey, how much better would life be?  I know I can't enjoy every moment of it, but I also know that every moment of my journey is planned by God for His purposes, so shouldn't I embrace it in both the amazing times and the hard times?  Embrace the Journey.

And Listen. Listen in 2008 was my previous and extremely short-lived blog.  Not because I quit it, but because technical difficulties got the best of me, and so here I am.  Maybe I'll give the copy and paste command a try and see if I can drop in my thoughts about Listen, my word for 2008.  No such luck.  So here is at least one part of my thoughts on the subject.

What would life be like if I made it my goal to Listen? To put myself aside. To not interrupt. To pay attention. Yes, even to the littlest people. Could I live this way? How would it change me? What if, as I listen, I take it one step further and try to understand what it is that the person wants me to know? How they need me to respond? What if I can learn to truly empathize with others and meet others' needs? I'm going to give Listen a try this year and see what comes of it.

Aunt Krissy, who tells it like it is, says that I tend to start my sentences with the word, "so." So here you are, Krissy. Starting my whole blog with this:

So here are my cozy thoughts. Embracing the Journey. Spending the year listening. Just sharing my everyday and seeing what happens.