Bye-Bye Old Year -- Hello New One

Another chance at a new start as the new year is here!  Finally I have some time to reflect on this past year and think how I will approach this new year.

Making it through one complete year without my "better half"was not easy.  There were sad moments, some being difficult to handle.  Though, there were good thoughts everyday of this very special person. I can't help but think of Mike everyday when I walk around this house.  I have made some changes here and there and I will probably make more, but this is still "Our House" and it will continue to reflect that.

The holiday season has come and gone.  It was celebrated with the kids in different ways.  It began at Thanksgiving with just a few of us here.  Still not ready for larger crowds.  I enjoyed decorating the house for the coming Christmas season.  Here too some things changed, but much remains from traditions we started many years ago.  What I loved was visiting the kids' houses and seeing little holiday items that have already been passed on.  There are many pieces their dad loved to make for them that they all have on display.  Family favorites and new recipes of cookies were baked once again.  All made to be shared with family, friends and neighbors.

Of course early December brings my birthday, which was celebrated with the family when they surprised me with a new iPad as a birthday/Christmas gift.  There were evenings of visits with brothers, sisters-in-law, aunts and uncle and neighbors during the weeks before Christmas.  There were evenings alone too, but I filled them by watching our collections of holiday movies or listening to the numerous seasonal selections of music collected through the years.

An early Christmas gift for my mother-in-law was to see "The Christmas Schooner"and dinner with Mary, Jim and Laura in the city, followed by a trip into one of the famous neighborhoods with decorated houses.  Christmas Eve eve was spent with a trip once again into the city to see "It's a Wonderful Life" on the BIG screen with family and friends then traveling to Matthew's for his annual party.

Christmas Eve brought a quiet day for me, while Kevin, Amy and Matthew all had commitments with other gatherings.  Yes, I was invited to attend each with them, but chose to spend it at home with my thoughts and memories and time to prepare for Christmas Day with the kids here.  Christmas Day was very good as we gathered together as our little family and shared dinner and goodies and gifts and most important, time together.

It was off to the Wisconsin north-woods.  Time to get away from hustle & bustle of the "burbs" and city, to the sometimes craziness and hustle & bustle of all of us together at camp.

We are all back home now with a new year beginning once again. My goal is to be much, much more productive with creative endeavors this year - more published works, more teaching, open to new ideas to expand my creative reach.  It begins with being organized and that has to begin immediately.  I hope it will be a year of goodness and happiness to all those around me.  With what's happened this last year  or two, we can never be sure of what's ahead and I have learned at least one thing - take each day at a time! I will and try to make the most of each.