January may have felt like the longest year ever, but February to May has flown by faster than I can blink. I sit here now in the reading nook in my new office. Sunlight is seeping through the windows; the house is quiet while my little one naps after a morning spent by the pool.

Today is Memorial Day and though I don’t come from a military family, I have taken time today to reflect on and express gratitude for those who have lost their lives in service to our country. I believe this is due to an outpouring of gratitude and thankfulness I have been feeling for some time now. It’s one of those moments you wish you could bottle up and save for when your cup inevitably runs dry. A reminder of the cyclical nature of life and that goodness (like hardships, thankfully) is fleeting.

A year ago, I dreamed of being right where I am now: in good health, surrounded by family, in our dream home we envisioned and brought to life, and in our new town that consistently brings peace. (There is something about being near the water that soothes your soul.)

This is the first official holiday in our new home we built, and it feels so surreal. As I look at my list of 24 things to carry into 2024, I have completed several of them over the course of the weekend, which gives me confidence that I have successfully incorporated these things into my daily life. In no particular order, here are a few highlights:

• Hitting my daily 10,000 step goal
• Visiting with an old friend (fun fact: we also share the same birthday)
• Listening to live music downtown
• Celebrating my Memaw’s birthday
• Planning out our future on the porch with a glass of wine in hand
• Attending church with my family (we take up an entire row and have 4 generations represented!)
• Hosting happy hour
• Making memories by the pool
• Taking loaves of lemon poppyseed bread to my neighbors with my daughter

These are some the little things recently that fill my cup and make me grateful for another day.

The road to get to this point has been 35 years in the making and not an easy one by any means. It involves constant purging and nurturing (physically, relationally, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally). But man, is it worth it.

And with that, I wish you all a terrific unofficial start to Summer. May it been enriching, focused on the people who matter and highlighted with activities that nourish your soul.

I hope you will share with me what your summer plans will hold. Feel free to reach me at sara@armstrongmcguire.com.

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Sara Littlejohn is the Administrative Coordinator for Armstrong McGuire. Learn more and catch her other musings in her bio.

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