You know, I hear from some people that they've had a bad year, and are hoping the new one is better. I don't understand that I guess. The year is what we made of it and though sometimes bad things happen through anyone's life, time isn't at fault, a date doesn't change things. We do. Sitting here, sipping a glass of very nice wine, my handsome husband sitting across the room from me, watching a movie together and just BEING on this first day of 2012, I have time to reflect over 2011 and make plans for how I'd like to see 2012 play out. But I have to, throughout these introspections admit that 2011 wasn't a bad year, not bad at all. You see, for every negative thing I could point out, I can also point out positive ones.
Sure, we have an idiot in charge of the insane assylum we call a government, and that idiot has made it his mission to destroy the nation I love so much, as do so many of us. Sure, our national debt is so huge and growing as I type by leaps and bounds, that our children, their children, and into the future generations will be paying for it in ways we cannot imagine, since it's difficult for us to envision life in a country that is changing so dramatically. Sure, we have natural disasters happening day after day that our environmental scientists cannot explain, and man made disasters that fill us with fear as their results manifest themselves . . . and I could go on and on, but there's no reason. I've made my point. However, our forefathers and mothers also faced disasters that they felt meant the end of the world as they knew it, and perhaps it was the end of their world. I don't know, I wasn't around then. I know though, that through it all, God is bigger than the disasters, He's smarter than any number of insane and idiotic "leaders", He's got a plan and though I may not get what that plan is for now, I can see it unfolding and I consider myself mentally and spiritually able to meet the challenges He is placing before me.
I'd like to focus for a moment on the great things about 2011, because there really were great things. I'd like to put away the negative thoughts because I could let them fill my head and heart and dim the beauty of the gifts I've been given. This year has been filled with amazing feats of self-discovery. I have learned that I am strong! I knew I could get through anything I had to get through, because I've been through difficult times in recent years. This strength was different. I took charge of my life in a way I never have before and came through victorious - with the help of my incredibly supportive husband - I came through standing tall and proud of my accomplishments. I threw off the yoke of imprisonment that my body was holding me in by shedding 77.5 lbs. Anyone who is living in that prison knows what I am talking about when I speak of being trapped inside my body. I'm not any more. I walk into a room and hold my head high, no longer wanting to hide. What an incredible feeling that is! Through that blessing I started a business and it is slowly growing. With this business, blessed by God and wonderful customers, I will be able to declare at least a small amount of independence from work-related stress. Perhaps ultimately be completely independent of having to be on someone else's schedule and under someone else's authority. How amazing would that be? But even if my business doesn't grow to that level, I am blessed to be meeting new people who are willing to accept the advice and help I am able to give them, to help them be released from their own physical imprisonment. God has blessed me by using me to bless others. This year I have been allowed to be a part of so many wonderful projects through my church, which have in turn helped the community and maybe blessed those who haven't yet met the Lord. Amen to that! But most importantly I am so blessed by my family. I have a husband who loves me and treats me like I am special. I still am not used to how that feels, and hope I never do get used to it. I would hate to ever take it for granted. I am blessed by my children. My son and his fiancee returned safely from their service in Kuwait and are settling into a life and routine that gives them contentment. My daughter and her husband are happy and have been presented with some amazing opportunities and I couldn't be more proud of them! My parents moved nearby - down the road in fact - and that alone is a blessing. I may not see them every day, or even once a week, but we are there for each other if we need something, and that is a comfort in so many ways. Finally I am blessed by friends. I have made some new ones, and I am blessed to have some who have continued to be there for me throughout the year, and who I know will continue to be there for me always.
Yes, there are challenges that I have dealt with this year, and there are some challenges I will continue to deal with through the new year. There are emotions to reconcile, difficulties to face, and ways I can grow. But I know that 2011 was a blessing, 2012 will be another blessed year, and I have everything I need in this life to make me happy. A God who will never forsake me, a husband who sees my faults and loves me anyway, children who I am blessed to have in my life, parents who care about me no matter what, and friends I love and cherish. The other stuff? It's just stuff. Nobody can get me down if I don't let them, and 2012 can only be a bad year if I make it that way. And I won't. I am determined that 2012 will be a year of exciting new things, and a year when I will make many new and beautiful memories, and there will be incredible challenges to face.
God bless 2012!
