New Year, New Start

2013 was a roller coaster of a year for me. It began with the joy of finding out I was expecting a little one, was tempered by the loss of both my grandfathers, and got pretty stressful after I lost my job mid-pregnancy. Luckily, the end of the year got a boost with my husband landing his dream teaching position and the birth of our little girl. I can say without a doubt that this was the most tumultuous year of my life, filled with both more joy and more sorrow than I could have possibly anticipated when it began.

Throughout the year there have been many times when I’ve despaired, especially with regard to losing my job. I’ve been angry, hurt, and upset and often asked “why me?” And it has been hard. But looking back, I feel it’s important to acknowledge that I am so very lucky in so many ways. I have a loving husband and family, we are happy and healthy, and despite a rough arrival our little girl is perfect in every way. We never go hungry, we laugh more than we cry, and even though things are tough we get by.

There is always room for things to get better, but this year has taught me that even when it feels difficult to see how things will work out, it’s important to count the blessings that you do have. It’s so easy to overlook how central health, love, comfort, and security are to how we experience every day of our lives.

I’m hoping that 2014 will be a better year in many ways for my family, but this year has taught me that no matter what happens we’ll be ok. We may not have all the things we want, or may even struggle with the things we need, but we’ll always have each other and that will give us the strength to hang in there.

Hope everyone has a wonderful start to their new year. Here, it’s snowing hard so that means a day spent curled up indoors with my favorite people and pets!