Slice of Life: A Stretch Reflection!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, Anna, Kathleen, and Deb

                    for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

Here's the visual I made last year with a
little help from fellow blogger, Michelle.

Moving On (an acrostic composed in January for my 2015 OLW)

Steps,
Tiny steps, with time to
Refresh, to celebrate
Each day's small effort as I seek
To gently grow,
Comfortable as a cat, content and
Happy to move forward slowly.


I'm totally amazed at how quickly a year passes.  It's a fifth Tuesday, and one of the days I devote to reflecting on my one little word for the year.  I'm reluctant to write, feeling that I somehow didn't measure up to my wishes for this to be a year of stretching.  However, a few glances back at some posts remind me that I did indeed do a bit of stretching this past year.

I filled in for six weeks in our school library (a delightful stretch). 
I was lucky to witness a long-wished-for remodel of our kitchen
And I stretched as I decluttered many items while packing up.
I continued to log many steps throughout our very mild winter,
a delightful spring, and a drier than usual summer.  
I must admit the arrival of a very wet fall and winter
has resulted in fewer steps.  
I've made progress with my boxes from teaching, 
(thanks to daughter's help)!
I can't say that I'm done, but I continue to 
celebrate any small effort in the right direction. 
I've read many of the possibilities
for this year's Newbery award.
Our after school book club has stretched 
to include many more students.  
A new opportunity arrived at the end of September
when I was asked to accept a new calling
to serve the women of our congregation.
This calling is a "big stretch" for me, 
and I'm grateful for the support of family and friends
as I stretch my circle of caring,
as I learn to gently grow, and
to be content and happy 
with any forward progress, however small. 


Now, I'm thinking about next year's OLW, maybe by next week it will find me!