Anyone who has been 'around the block' a few times knows well that life has many twists and turns. Yet it still is kind of shocking when those twist and turns hit unexpectedly and pulls the rug right out from underneath you. While 2012 offered many happy times, gifts and blessings, it also brought one of those life altering times too . . . the death of a parent. Most everyone experiences the loss of parents in their lifetime and no matter the family dynamics, the family history or the nature of the relationship, I believe that experience changes you in ways that you never realized until you have walked that path.
It is my belief that in all things we can find God's presence. So in the midst of my sadness I can give thanks that even though it was difficult at the time, that my Dad's illness progressed so swiftly that he only survived little more than two weeks beyond the diagnosis. I'm thankful for the three siblings I have and how we together are working to continue for the time being to keep the family business going and support each other in the difficult decisions that need to be made. As sad as we are, this experience has bonded the four of us as we care for our Mom and support her in the changes life has in store for her. That's a very long explanation for the absence from my blog but I've never been known for brevity of words.
So here we are at the start of a New Year. At a recent coffee date with a couple of my girlfriends, the topic of New Year Resolutions arose or rather the braking of those well intended resolutions. According to the news there is a high rate of depression in people on the third Monday in January. The reasons: the weather, the credit card bills that have arrived from Christmas spending and by this time of the month many have failed to keep their New Year Resolutions. . . . My solution - don't make any New Year Resolutions till after that Monday. Further I'm not even going to label them as resolutions rather I will refer to them as goals. Somehow that seems more comfortable to me.
MY 2013 GOALS
Goal # 1: Blog about my current projects (be it quilting, needle work, knitting, or crocheting) on a more regularly --- maybe even weekly.
Goal # 2: Find a balance between new projects & UFO's (Is that what those things are called that are piling up?)
Goal # 3: Challenge myself to try some new skill with each quilting project.
Goal # 4: Look for the gifts, blessings and joys each day has to offer.
Goal # 5: Remember to nurture and care for myself without feeling guilty.
It will be fun to revisit this post at the end of the year.
