Wednesday, January 2, 2013

My Words for 2013

Peace and Contentment

These words were not the first I chose.  My first was Courage, but I was afraid to choose it.  

You see, for most of my adult life I have had to seek and practice courage.  And it has worked for me, yes it has, a lot.  But it is so darn hard!  

Courage helped me grow from a somewhat quiet and shy girl, into a strong and independent woman.  It helped me leave a 17 year marriage to a man I loved and the father of my 2 children because of his serious and worsening mental illness.  Courage saw me through raising these 2 teenagers alone and beginning my entrepreneurial dream of owning my own quilt shop. 
 Four years later , Courage held me up when making the decision to leave my family behind in Maine and with a new husband move across the country to Arizona to make a new life and open a new store.  
Starting a business from scratch takes so much energy and courage, putting one foot in front of the other and making decisions along the way that you never had to make before in your life. 
I taught myself to teach classes, never having taken a class in quilting myself!  I hired staff, stocked the store, implemented procedures, built and installed fixtures, wrote ad campaigns, spoke to large groups of quilters in many communities for feedback, used a microphone! to speak to them, sometimes over 200 women at a time!  Courage lead me to take on a Bernina sewing machine dealership and become one of the top 5 dealers in my district and win awards. I learned to create patterns and fabric lines that sold to shops around the world. I grew that shop into a large and wonderful place that still exists with a new owner 10 years later.
Courage helped me to sell the shop, leave that husband and a lot of personal unhappiness so I could return to my home state of Maine and my family, heal and begin again.

That was almost 3 years ago. 

That's when I decided what I really wanted was Peace and Contentment.
And I found it.

I found it where I began, with the people that I love, with my wonderful husband who supports me and loves me and lets me be who I am.  I found it on the lake that we live on in the summers, and on our trips in the motor home in the winters, and in the home that I bought on the street where I grew up.  

I found it in my creativity, my art, my painting and my drawing, my designing.  Peace and Contentment requires Courage.  But instead of the drive and striving of courage, there is an ease.  

I told my husband when I met him that all I wanted was Peace and Contentment.  And like I just described, I have found it.  But...

I am not finished.  There is more.  I have so many goals still.  I am "retired" in the way that I don't have to go to work everyday anymore.  But there are new horizons and things to do, fabrics to design, patterns to create, paintings to paint, words to write!

Now that I have Courage under my belt I can relax in Peace and Contentment and confidently move forward.  

For this next year, I will create and absorb these words into my life.  I am so excited and grateful !

Life is what you create.

Thank you for taking the time to read these words about my life and my dreams.  

Happy New Year and much love to you.

If you click on the link below you can visit more flyers and read inspirational stories about their word of the year.  Enjoy!



<center><a href="http://fly-tribe.blogspot.com.au/"><img src="http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/ShellsintheBush/2013WH150_zps6278039f.jpg"/></a></center>

29 comments:

  1. Wow, when I first read your recluctance to choose the word courage I could never have imagined how apt your actual chosen words were for you. I wish you a fantastic year and feel sure you will achieve all you set out to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence Ruth. I wish you a beautiful and successful year too!

      Delete
  2. Dawn, loved hearing about choosing your word. Looking forward to very creative 2013 that is filled with peace and contentment!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, Dawn! I really loved reading your post and the process that you have gone through - through courage - to reach peace and contentment. When you were talking about all the experiences you've had where you've had to practice courage, I could feel how brave and strong you were and how hard all of those choices would have been. When I read about moving back to Maine, having a house on the lake, living on the street you grew up on...and the peace and contentment that has brought you, I felt it. It made me want to go sit on the lake during the summer and just breathe.

    I wish for you all the peace and contentment you can muster this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Becky :) I would love to have you over to the lake, we could talk and create for hours while breathing in all that beautiful fresh air. You would love it! I wish Peace and contentment for you as well. We all deserve that.

      Delete
  4. Dawn, it has been lovely to meet and share with you in 2012. I wish peace and contentment and I will enjoy sharing a little more of the creative path in 2013.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Suzi, I look forward to knowing you better during this next year together!

      Delete
  5. Dawn I loved reading how you have worked through so much in your life and have come out shining to a place of peace and contentment. Thank you for showing us that we can have anything in life if we so desire it. Lovely post. Happy New Year... looking forward to creating/painting with you in 2013. xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Suzanne. So glad to have you in my life! Happy New Year and happy creating! huggs

      Delete
  6. Okay I am going to have to go and get a coffee and re-read this. I just called you courageous in another post. Went and looked at your designs, realizing that I had not seen them before... they are amazing!
    ...back with the coffee... wish you were here... :-)
    And now I am blown away of how many times you just kept with it, talk about brave. Yes you definitely paved the way to where you are today a place of "Peace & Contentment", fabulous!
    I look forward in getting to know you better and see your beautiful creations. Many hugs and a super happy New Year 2013.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa, I am so happy that you took the time to look at my work. I would love to share a cup of coffee and some long talks with you. We would have much to talk about I am sure. Keep your chin up girl, you are a very Brave soul yourself. I wish you only good things in 2013!

      Delete
  7. Dawn you are in inspiration. Thank you for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Courage may have been the verb or action word for you all these years, but BRAVE is the noun I would use to describe you. It was a serious honor to read a small bit about your life!! May MANY blessings come your way in 2013. I am so glad I will get to travel (FLY) with you this year!!!
    HuGGs!
    Debi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwww you are sweet Debi, I wish you many blessings too as we fly together!

      Delete
  9. Peace and contentment. Just thinking them makes me feel calm. I am loving everyone's words, they are so inspiring. And an extra woo-hoo! for you and your courage. Those are some seriously big things you did! So proud of you <3

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dawn, after reading your beautiful story, I can't help but wonder if our paths haven't already crossed! I taught quilting in the Phoenix area years ago so you never know... it really is a small world! You definitely mastered the word courage and I believe you are well on your way to peace and contentment!! Have a wonderful 2013 and I will see you in the sky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathie, my quilt shop was Sun Valley Quilts in Sun City. Lived in Surprise for 10 or so years. Being a shop owner and Bernina dealer I didnt get out too much but did know alot of the other shop owners in the valley when we met for shop hops meetings. Had alot of valley teachers in my shop for classes too. What years were you there? Small world huh?

      Delete
  11. You are amazing, my friend! Reading about you opening your quilt shop reminded me of that hectic, fun, crazy, sleep-deprived time when I opened my scrapbook store. Courage has definitely served you well. I wish you much peace and contentment in the new year. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Wendy, So you know how opening and running a store can be! fun, exciting and intense! where was yours? how long did you have it?

      Delete
    2. My store was in Martinez, California and was open for about six years. It brought me so many blessings - new friends, new confidence, new skills, and lots of opportunities. I miss it sometimes but am excited about the new possibilities unfolding for me this year. :)

      Delete
  12. It's so nice read about your journey to where you are today and how your courage helped you through all of your growth over the years. Now that you are back at home it seems peace and contentment fill your heart. How beautiful! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Michelle! I am so glad to get to know you and call you friend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful blog post Dawn. And i love that you aren't necessarily looking for a NEW word but really making a strong foundation of your current words. Thanks for the inspiration. xo Janine

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, strong words, strong woman. I love the idea of being retired from having to make regular income and now choosing to follow your passions.

    Best wishes for the year and the vibrant future you have before you.

    Best wishes,
    Liz

    ReplyDelete
  16. great post and awesome journey! thank you for sharing it! happy new year in peace and contentment!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. May 2013 be a year of peace and contentment for you. Thanks for joining in on the Word Hop.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dawn, wow. You are courageous, strong AND brave! Glad you are living a happier life these days. I also love that we are fellow surface pattern designers. Well, I'm a wanna be, you are the real thing. :) Be safe on your journey...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oops - my id doesn't come through on some blogs... it's fly sister Sharon

      Delete

I would love to have you leave me a comment!