Approaching

December 29th.

New Year's Day is coming.

I don't want to be a Debbie-downer, but good riddance to you 2010. You were not very kind to me.

I acquired, and later lost, a job that I did not like in any way whatsoever. I also lost a very large portion of my piano studio and my classroom space too. I lost moments of time that I wish I had spent in better ways. We lost some friends. We left one spiritual home, and that felt like a deep loss as well. I lost so much sleep that it became comical to me as I roamed the house in the wee hours of the morning, seeking an audience with God in order to pass the time. My health deteriorated down to a dangerous place. We lost money too. Possibly a lot of it.

Loss seems to be the theme of the year.

We had some good points in the year as well. Alex has soared to new heights in his company, and I am on my way to getting healthy again. The garden was beautiful and productive, and the house (while rebelling against me in every possible way) is starting to become a comforting dream home for us. We found a new spiritual home and we are so happy there. Our marriage is strong and happy, with the occasional squabbles, and I was reunited with some old friends in the last days of this month and the reunion was wonderful.

And 2011 is coming and with it comes all the promise of a new year. I am looking forward to 2011. I have no resolutions yet, and I tend not to make very many anyway, but I'm sure I will focus more on the spiritual and service sides of life when I make them.

I hope to have more Grace and less Fear in the coming months.

I hope to let hurtful words from others roll off my back like water, and not give them a second thought.

I hope to create beauty for others to enjoy in every step that I take.

I hope to overcome the Fear of Failure that I've been carrying for most of my life.

I hope to love my husband and our life together more deeply than ever.

I hope this year brings promise and joy, instead of loss and disappointment.