There’s a scene in a movie, where the heroine realises that her home is being attacked, and she has to fight back with all she’s got — or what is left will be destroyed. That’s what 2012 was like for me.

Everything that happened to me prior to 2012 was instrumental in forming me into a person who could rise with the occasion and offer forgiveness, love and peace. This opportunity — especially as I am modelling adult life for four very special young women — is not one to be squandered, and so I’ll be building on last year’s successes in this new year.

Flowers growing from a rock wall, Tasmania, December 2012
"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." — Tennessee Williams

These are the areas that I am focusing on for our family’s sake.

Unity

We are all one. This spiritual realisation is foundational to peaceful interactions, environmental sensitivity and acceptance of the moment. Core to this is the rejection of judging things as bad or good. They just are, and the sooner I accept this, the healthier my attitude will be.

Last year, I learned how to stop separating the spiritual from the physical. They are one and the same. I don’t compartmentalise my understanding of God any more. My reality is that the Divine inhabits me and the world around me. Namaste!

This year, I’ll be reminding our girls — and myself — of the importance of family unity. I’ll continue explaining selfishness as someone’s forgetting the truth of unity. We will focus on being kind and respectful with each other, and these practices will naturally flow to those we encounter outside our small unit.

Passion

Passion is the emotional energy we invest in people and projects. In order to be passionate, we must have excess energy, and so I’ll continue to guide the girls in sourcing their energy.

Over the last months, my primary passion has been for my daughters. I don’t see that changing. I’ll be continuing to monitor my own energy levels so I don’t run out. If I can demonstrate this well, the girls will learn from my example and won’t be unwitting victims of their circumstances, diet, emotions or hormones.

Last year, I learned a lot about true compassion and love. This year, my greatest challenge will be to love those who have hurt me. Previously, I didn’t have the energy to invest into painful relationships and so I let them slip away, but this year — in love — I will invest in people who judge me.

Creativity

I do want the girls to be creative. This doesn’t mean that they need to be “arty-types”, but rather that they are able to be inspired from the world around them and from themselves and express that inspiration into whatever they’re doing.

Last year, I burst into creative action. I started channelled the excess energy that had previously gone into Elijah into creative projects. These included making our new home beautiful, learning to crochet and experimenting with video and mini-photo-blogs.

This year, we’ll continue to meet artists, tour galleries and appreciate the beauty around us. I’m keeping our bus stocked with craft supplies and will encourage our girls to experiment with photography, music and story-telling.

Blogging

It’s ironic that I’m currently unmotivated to keep blogging, although I realise that my daily journaling of each day’s activities is more important than ever — both because it provides a record of our adventures for David and also because it documents life after death. Some of my blogging malaise comes from my reluctance to spend time on-screen when the girls are around, which leaves me only the early hours of the morning to process my photos and document our travels.

As the girls become more computer-savvy and spend more and more time browsing through the blog, I am reminded of its value in cementing their childhood memories, their understanding of the world and their growing appreciation of each moment. So, although I’m feeling reluctant at this point, I’ll keep writing. In the past, I’ve written for me; at this time, it’s not for me — it’s for them.

You’re welcome to read along. It’s going to be a great year.