2017: A Year In Review at Grace In My Space
Happy New Year my friends! It’s hard to believe that 2017 has come and gone so quickly. It was one for the books for me and my little tribe. So I thought I would kick off 2018 dwelling on the good, the bad, and the ugly from 2017 and cap it off with my top blog posts of 2017!
Thank YOU
First off, let’s chat about you. I am ever so grateful for you, my readers and blog buddies, as you have stuck it out with me through my first year of blogging. Honestly, I didn’t start taking blogging seriously until the last quarter of 2017 and in those few months I saw how quickly you accepted me.
So THANK YOU! I cherish your love and encouragement. Thank you for sticking around. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for looking past my little bit of crazy and allowing me to be a part of your day.
2017: A Year In Review
Ya’ll, 2017 was flat out HARD. I dare say it was one of the top two hardest years of my life. My family suffered through hearing those dreaded words: Dad has cancer. We watched as he battled cancer, surgery and chemo for months. We lost my grandma. We lost our church family. We suffered through personal attacks and scrutiny. We lost friendships we would have once called unbreakable. I saw anxiety and fear overtake my thoughts for quite some time. We watched our son struggle through transitions and sadness, having his little world rocked like he’s never experienced before.
But in every trial, God showed His goodness.
After a year of battling cancer, we are praising the Lord that my Dad is cancer free! After losing my grandma we are blessed to enjoy a new addition to the family with our precious niece. After losing our church family and many strong relationships, we’ve seen tremendous growth with several of our closest friends, who are now like family. Through personal attacks we watched as our family surrounded us with love and acceptance. And, God has proven His peace and power as a replacement of my anxiety and fear.
We watch daily as our son overcomes his own anxiety, one step at a time. We’ve watched our daughter flourish at school. My husband has been blessed immensely at his workplace with new opportunities presenting themselves regularly. We have never wanted or needed for anything beyond God’s constant assurance that He’s in control. And you know what? He is! He is in control. And for that, I am forever grateful.
With 2017 behind us I am looking forward to what 2018 will bring. All I know for sure is, God’s got this. So, what is my word for 2018? Well, we all know I’m longwinded so it’s pretty much impossible for me to just pick one word. So for 2018 I’m focusing on this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Top Blog Posts
Ok, now I’m getting to the fun stuff! It’s impossible to recap 2017 without talking about my top blog posts of the year. This blog was a fantastic outlet for me through such stressful times and I hope that you have enjoyed it as well. Here are some of my top posts! Click the image to be taken to the full post if you’ve missed them throughout the year!
Our Home: Modern Farmhouse Style Guide
Cozy Christmas Home Tour
Hygge Christmas
DIY Christmas Scroll Tutorial
Easy Care Plants
DIY Charger Tutorial
Fall Home Tour
How To Refinish A Dining Room Table
Top Monday Musings of Grace: Be Still and Know
What’s in store for 2018?
And there you have it! My 2017 summed up in one post with my top blog posts of the year! I have some fun plans in the works for 2018 for you all but I want to hear from you too! What would you like to see more of from Grace In My Space? Leave me a comment below my friends! Cheers to a new year and new opportunities!
xo,
{2018: God’s Got This}
I just read your 2017 recap . I have never been to your blog before. My 2017 was equally hard. We lost our 11 year old son to a tragic accident in our backyard. Our marriage, our faith and our remaining son are why we are still standing. We are coming up on a year and the pain is just as strong as it was on day 1. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this but this is the first blog I’ve joined so maybe I felt compelled to introduce myself? Quite an introduction. We were always normal people,; working, watching our kids in sports and bumming around on weekends with various friends. Our world turned upside down in an instant but our constants remained just that, stable & constant. WE are not stable every day but we wait patiently for God to reveal His master plan. Until then, we pay it forward in rememberence of our son and talk to anyone who will listen about the beauty of God’s salvation and what awaits us in Heaven. P.S. I live your decorating style too! ???
Oh Laura, thank you so much for sharing part of your journey with me. I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of your son but I’m so grateful the Lord has given you the strength to help others through your experience. Your faith is so admirable and I pray that you find comfort in it daily my friend.
I just found your beautiful blog through Pinterest and its wonderful! Your home tour is amazing and I’ll definitely be going back through your inspiring posts. Sorry for the hardships you experienced last year 🙁 It is truly wonderful to hear how much you trust in God and a good reminder to remember who is in charge – and to appreciate that! Here’s to a wonderful 2018 for you and your family! Hugs
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Karla! I’m so glad you stopped by the blog and I hope you enjoy it in the future!
Thank you for sharing Sarah! I’m excited for what God has planned next in your journey also. Cheers to the review and the New Year ahead!
I’m excited to walk through 2018 with you Janelle! Hugs my sweet friend!
Sarah, I actually didn’t realize you’ve only had your blog for a year. It is so well done, it feels like you’ve been doing this for much longer. Congratulations, especially considering what you went through personally.
I applaud you for having the strength to walk away from a group of people who should be deeply ashamed of themselves for treating you and your family as they have. May the new group of people you have found prove themselves worthy of your trust.
May you and your family have a very rewarding, more kind 2018.
Cheers and best wishes, Ardith
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Ardith! I hope your 2018 is blessed as well. 🙂
our first fixer upper together 🙂
couldn’t resist
Haha, it sure felt that way!