2015: The Journey Continues

We are already eleven days into the new year. Can you believe it? Time sure does move fast and life will pass us by if we do not stop and enjoy it. 2014 was a good, but challenging, year for our family and this project. We experienced negative and positive, joy and happiness, pain and heartache, personal struggles and doubt, accomplishments and wonderful achievements, and the unknown. To say that the year, and our life, was hectic would be an accurate statement.

We worked with many new nonprofits and causes that positively impact the lives of people in our community. Through these activities we, as a family, experienced growth and personal healing. Serving the community and loving people helped us through the challenges that I mentioned above. Loving and helping people gives us great joy. Joy that leads to smiles when days are tough. Joy that shines bright like the sun when the storms of life are shaking the house. There is definitely self-healing in serving others. We all experienced that firsthand last year.

We continue to receive the support of so many people. This blog has touched over 150 countries around the world. It may be close to 200, but we have lost track at this point. We received emails, Facebook messages, and tweets that offered so many words of encouragement. With the positive came the negative. We were called “media whores” and “self-centered” at different times throughout the year. I personally was accused of wanting attention, patting myself on the back, and being fake on different occasions. I was told that my “outstanding” attitude was too positive to be believed. I was cursed and called names because I think that I am better than others. Some believe that this project only exists for us to feel good about ourselves. Those people think that we only do what we do and say what we say because we want attention. Everyone has the right to their opinion, but their words will not penetrate our armor. They can believe and say what they want. That is fine with us. It will not deter us from our mission to make a difference.

The year ended with volunteer activities with organizations like the Salvation Army and Karing for Kids where we rang the bell and played Santa Claus. We didn’t write about those weeks. Actually, there were 5 or 6 weeks of service activities that we didn’t write blog posts about. There are reasons for it and some are excuses. As I type this particular blog post we are re-evaluating how we continue to move forward in regards to sharing our story. As the project gains momentum, it continues to morph into something new.

We are excited about the new year. We have no idea where the path will lead and what will happen with this project. We do know that the journey will continue. We will continue to try to make a difference in this world. We will pursue our passion to positively impact the lives of others. We will challenge you, and others, to eliminate excuses and take action in your communities. We will offer our encouragement and speak life-giving words into the ears of those who will listen. We will continue on being who we are. And that is the Brown family. We may not share everything through this blog, but it we will continue to do what we do. We will continue to embrace our roles as world-changers.

I want to take a minute to encourage you to live the life YOU want in 2015. Do the things you want to do. Spend time with the people you want to spend time with. Do not buy into the negative words of others. Do not let self-doubt rob you of the life you deserve. You deserve to live the life you want. That life is there for the taking if you choose to grab it. Stop making excuses and go after it.

Blessings to you and your families for a healthy and happy 2015. We hope that you will put others first this year. By doing so, the year will be awesome for many. You and everyone around you!