As the clock winds down today to the end of the year, I have hopped around and read many many fabulous “Best of” or “Year in Pictures” or any variety of reflection posts. Last year I did a best of The Scoop on Poop, but I’m not doing that this year. Instead I am choosing to reflect back on the year, which started with a post titled La Vida Loca. It was a great post to start off the year with, and as I read back looking for the best posts of the year, this one stuck in my head.
This same post be applied to the new year too. It’s sad and happy in its own way though. Here are some tidbits from that post:
what if you had the power to decide someone’s resolutions for them?
- GC would be tending to the trash on a
hourly daily basis. (We are still working on this one!!)
- No more motor mouth from Jellybean. (Well, she’s still a non-stop fountain of chatter)
- Scooby Doo would poop in the potty. (This one was a success!!)
But there was another one; one that became my motto that we need to remember this year too as we look forward to the changes that are coming our way. (After all, isn’t life full of changes, both good and bad?). It’s a big one, and I’ll admit that we weren’t as successful as we could have been.
Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
And there it is. It wasn’t just GC that needed to be reminded of it. I needed a reminder too. And as the holidays approached I realized it more and more. That is one of the reasons my daily blogging stopped. I had to stop and refocus on what was most important to me and make more effort giving time to those things.
We had a lot of changes this past year. We moved from one home on a hill away from civilization to a nicer home smack in the middle of a neighborhood. We all had to relearn social skills and give up our nomadic ways. Blogger got hungry and started eating posts, so I made that scary move to wordpress and haven’t regretted it for a millisecond.
My writing took off. I found new writing groups that expanded my growth. I started leading a writers workshop. I won 3rd place in a writing contest. I had two short stories published on a site. I completed a second year of NaNoWriMo (still have to put the finishing touches on that one!). I found my niche, my writing voice, my style.
I found resources to help chase away the demons of my past. I put new faces to old things. New faces that enabled me to defeat them. And it was good.
My words touched hearts all over the internet through such sites as Just.Be.Enough, Band Back Together, and through memes like Pour Your Heart Out. I shared a Proud Mommy Moment, my Virginian pride, and won the Most Inspirational Blogmas award for sharing my suicide story. I had my SITS day. I took the Mom Pledge. I even wrote a book review for another blogger.
My husband “switched” jobs three times this year before finding a driver that appreciated his work ethics. His boys moved to Florida and we haven’t seen them since. We lost a vehicle to old age and high mileage.
And then there was that whole cancer scare that rocked our world for what seemed like an eternity but was only a month. (Really? Only a month?)
It was at this point that I found my way back to God. I gave Him the reins and the changes began immediately.
The blessings rolled in immediately. There were constant reminders of His presence. There still are.
And so, the year ends just as fabulously as it started.
Except for that one thing:
Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
So, I’m getting back to mine. My children are waiting for me to feed some very hungry hippos with them, snuggle on the bed and watch a movie, or create a masterpiece with them.
Bring on 2012! I’m ready.
Happy New Year, friends. Be safe, be happy, be blessed.
Jellybean is safely tucked at camp.
The Scoop on Poop 