Saying Goodbye to 2012

I concede that it's much better to say goodbye to a year when the year is still present.  Once it's gone, well, saying goodbye is sort of anti-climatic.  Nevertheless, I am frequently late or at least barely on time.

I meant to write a nostalgic tribute earlier, but Duane and I went on vacation to Napa, and then I caught a cold, and then the cold got worse.  I felt well enough to write last night, but making a pot of soup seemed like a good plan.  And Duane and I watched A Little Bit of Heaven, a film about a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer and how she learns to say hello and goodbye at the same time.  Hello to love and the reality of her emotions, and goodbye to everything.  I cried, and we went to sleep.  Happy New Year to us.

2012 marked the multiple beginnings and endings, and I'm not quite ready to move on. It was a significant year for many reasons.  I started teaching at community colleges for the first time.  This consumed most of my time.  I watched my children grow and change, sometimes traumatically.   I couldn't rescue them from circumstances or choices, but I could love them and support them.  I said goodbye to Duane's mom and supported my family as they each navigated the grieving process.  I took on way too much work and tried to survive on four to five hours of sleep a night.  I walked away from what could have been a fatal car accident.

Through it all I've learned some important things.  One of the things I've learned is that to be emotionally healthy, I need to write.  

And so I will.

Major lessons I learned in 2012:

• I learned that God provides.  In His own time and His own way.
• I learned that life is short, and the things that matter are not things but people. 
• I learned that I need to take care of myself (and Duane). 
• I learned that to be emotionally I healthy, I need to read, write, and teach. 
• I learned that it's okay to have limitations.