finishing december daily

Sometimes it can be scary starting a long term project, to wonder if you will or will not finish it. This is the case almost every year with my version of December Daily. Will I keep up with it? Will I take enough photos throughout the month? Will it actually be completed before the year 2020?

days 8-25

So I am a little tickled to say that I did indeed finish this year's book. It was a bit of a need for me to do so. But I did not keep up, however. The first week went very well. Here is a look back at how that came together: december daily week one.

But after that I fell off a bit.

Some days I would just forget to take any photos. Some days I wondered if I really was happy simply documenting the every day. Some days I just felt so behind in my everyday life that the spirit of the project left me.

But then I would remember. And capture a photo like this one of my 12 year old above. And I would remember the other december daily books, with a photo just like this one...only she was smaller...and the sentiment would take over and I would think..."i have to keep up with this book! i have to remember these fun little moments that are slipping past me so quickly." And then the joy would return.

Joy would spill over into other parts of my life, and things would become the priorities that they should have been. Like this family night taking a little road trip to the capitol. We had to schedule this night out three different times!!! I have older teenagers who are having their own lives too, gosh darn it! But when this night rolled around...

...and we ate out at our favorite dive together...and gobbled up massive amounts of chili cheese dogs together...and laughed together...and talked together...and were amazed together...it made making these efforts, as well as the effort to record that moment in time (that even as I write this I get a lump in my throat remembering how great this time was) more than worth it.

And when it came right down to it...
and the joyful day arrived...
I was ready to complete the celebration of Christmas that took place in my heart all month long.

 I was up very early Christmas day.  I sneaked this shot in while all were still sleeping. I relished the quiet but anticipated the joy soon to be in all my family gathering and sharing their gifts and generosity with one another.
And I can touch all these emotions one more time, because I took the time to take the photos. Print the photos. Write the journaling. And gather them all together in what we all lovingly call our December Daily.