growth and development – Stephanie Richey Art

Picture of multiple math formulas all squished together.

This year has been such a busy year. Today I am reflecting back on what has gone on, what I have enjoyed, and what I have learned.

Some of the lessons I have learned this year actually started back on Christmas day 2022. That is the day that my Mother-in-law passed away and started me on a journey that I never would have guessed, it’s been a good journey.

Her death has made me reflect on what is really important in life, more so than any other death, and I think it’s because I was more involved in the process after she died. The biggest thing I have learned through this year is how little physical things really matter. There are things that make our lives easier and more comfortable, but when it’s all said and done, none of it is going with us. It has made me rethink things that I think I want to buy, is there an actual need or just a want? Is there a place for it? Will I actually use it? Things like that.

Family

More important than stuff, is family. This has been brought to the forefront in a number of ways. First, my Mother-in-laws death, then my dad getting really sick, my daughter getting married, and the opportunity to go visit out of state family multiple times this year. It’s been a year of building relationships, gaining new family, and enjoying and strengthening all family relationships. I am grateful for the time and means to go and do all that we did this year.

This one may sound funny, but my garden basically failed this year. I have learned a lot from this. I started off the year reading a lot about gardening in cold climates so I thought I was really well prepared when I got going in the spring. But I didn’t put into practice everything I had learned and I rushed through some of the more important steps, forgetting key ingredients to make things grow right. I am grateful we didn’t have to rely solely on our own food production this year, but I am learning to slow down and put into practice the things I am learning. Knowledge without action really doesn’t do me any good.

I have taken opportunity to learn more this year. I have subscribed to a watercolor website that has daily challenges and larger tutorials and I love learning. The small challenges are easy to complete in less than an hour which has made it easier to paint regularly and I’ve noticed improvements in my overall paintings as well as my techniques.

I have also enrolled in a number of classes to learn more about creating websites and content, life coaching courses, public speaking courses, and a number of others. Interestingly, I have seen the most marked improvement in the way I teach Seminary as well as the way I communicate with people around me. I am definitely not perfect, but I am grateful to be able to actually see that improvement.

This has been a great year. A year of learning, a year of growth. No matter the good, the struggles, the hard times, there is always something to be grateful for, and something to learn from. What have you learned this year?

We have had a very crazy busy last few weeks. So, I figured this was a good place to put my thoughts so that I could move ahead again. What set it all off was my older son decided which school he wanted to attend finally. He had his choice between the school in our area, homeschooling, and what is called Middle College. He had previously decided he really didn’t want to attend the school in our area for a variety of reason, so had mostly decided to homeschool. I was not thrilled necessarily, not that we wouldn’t have proceeded forward, but high school is harder, requires more paperwork on my end, and more time than he devoted in middle school.

3 days before the deadline for Middle College he decided he would like to try and get in. They were thrilled to have him, and he had already completed 1 of the 2 required tests to see if he could get in, and passed it with a score high enough to get in. So, we knew he was eligible regardless of his other score. But there was so much paperwork to fill out in a very short space of time. My daughters both went to Middle College, and I remembered the paperwork, but they had months to complete each step, we had days for some of it, up to a week later for other pieces, but it required a lot of phone calls on my part and zoom meetings with counselors on his part. But he did it!

The reason I bring this up is because just 3 months ago, he saw the amount of paperwork, the 2 tests, and everything else required and he gave up. He decided he would take the easy road and just do one of the other 2 schooling options. This summer through some of the things he has done working with his dad, he has developed confidence in his ability to do hard or scary things and knows that he can push through. I am proud of him and his courage to try, not knowing if it was even possible, and so excited that he is excited for school this year!

Also, this past week, our 2nd daughter had the opportunity to learn and develop doing something hard and scary. Interesting how that all works out sometimes. She is graduated from High School, still trying to figure out what she wants to do with life. She has really wanted a dog for a number of years, and finally this summer she bought one. I have been impressed by her ownership of all the tasks involved without me even jumping in and giving advice. The first couple days she asked me a lot of questions, but after that, she just went for it and has done a great job. But last week we noticed a lump on her dog’s lip. Everything in my daughter’s life turned upside down as she worried and wondered. We decided she should take the dog to the vet. She thought a lot about this, and then asked if I would please go with her. I agreed but reminded her she was paying!

On the day of the appointment, she talked to the vet for the most part, she took really good care of most of the situation and only needed help a couple of times. She is not a people person, and sometimes freezes up when she has to be in situations like these. But she did fantastic (so did the dog). The bump is most likely a small infection, but we will have it checked again in a month. I was so impressed by how much she had grown recently, by having the dog, and by choosing to get out and be around people in a variety of situations this summer that she wouldn’t have chosen to do previously.

My kids are always inspiring to me and watching these two grow this summer in a variety of ways has been amazing to watch. I am so grateful for opportunities to learn and grow in our lives, so grateful that we don’t have to be stuck in one spot, and that everyone has the opportunity to become better.