...and let it jog your memory.
We've reached the end of another year together, this family of mine and me. A beautiful and never quite perfect year, albeit peppered with profoundly incredible memories.
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| My lovely midwife Jenny with fresh and new W, www.newbirthmidwifery.com! |
I'd like to say we've done an intense amount of growing this year, all of us. We learned about N's particular needs (and her strengths too!) All to help us help her develop and become something wonderful.
I was published by this pretty excellent magazine, after the wild facebook status update debacle of 2013.
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| Natural Mother Magazine, I thank you! |
My confidence in my little writing hobby was bolstered beyond belief, even if I'm not proving it by flexing my writer's muscles very often these days. Sorry 'bout that. But it's just that also...
After a wild roller coaster of disappointment, developing self-confidence and the implantation of a giant steel rod where my flimsy ineffective spine once was (figuratively speaking, folks), I was finally admitted to the nursing program of my first choice school.
But we're getting a little ahead of things here. Before that there was of course my triumphant return to a job I absolutely adore, in March.
How about my very first root canal? Which went so wrong in so many ways, that I can't believe I'm ever considering going near a dentist again?
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| That is not packing in my cheek. That is swelling. |
There were a few relationships that fell apart, but even better were the ones that were repaired and made stronger than ever before.
A wonderful vacation! To see AMAZING family and friends!
And that one time one of those lovely Maine ladies came to Minnesota to see US?
Because my eldest was in her first BIG play!
The birthdays. So many birthdays.
There's quite a lot to be thankful for, something I do far more thoroughly (reflecting on all I've been given, whether I've behaved in a deserving manner or not) at New Years' than on the turkey holiday. Looking ahead, I see the potential the coming 365 days holds and I tremble a little at how it looms ahead of us, titanic in proportions, shadowy and blurry and unknown. But what a wild ride. What a topsy, turvy, insane ride. Just when we started to get real down and out, thinking things would never get better, they would, they did, unfailingly.
I don't do big, specific resolutions. The few times I have, I've done well with them (except the one where I said I'd lose the baby weight from W very quickly). I just don't want to feel like a failure if I DO put something out there and have to admit defeat at any point. Besides, the years keep coming, the wheel keeps turning, there's new days coming after this one, 24 hours of potential laying ahead of me all the time. An entire day, week, month, year's worth of chances to make this life something stunning, something to look behind me and smile about.
Next year comes nursing school, preschool for little N, toddler adventures for W, and absolutely whatever A puts her mind to, I'm sure she'll own it.
I'm thankful, so thankful, for my 27 years, and everything encased within them. I'm saying goodbye to 2013, and I resolve to look back next December 31st in the year of 2014 with just as much pride in what we've done with these coming 365, as I'm feeling today.
Happy New Years, everyone! Give us your best shot, 2014!
