Gratitude makes the journey better and so does kindness

So It Ends

A few hours to go. This is when it behooves me to reflect on things and such. So here I go. Unlike other times, this end of the year feels different. I have to remind myself is the last day of the year or else the hours will slide off and I’ll wake up in 2012 without warning. The way I think of it as I sit at my kitchen table with my blue toes peeking out from the cast is like this. I will write about the things I did and the things I’ll do.

The last 12 months have been a good mix of everything, you see. A good year by all means. In no particular order, just as they trickle out of my brain, they go like this:

  • I got to explore yet another year of amazing times with my boys, see them grow a bit more, I laughed, cried and tumbled with them. They make me a better me, every day
  • I learned to accept myself, to be kind to myself through the amazing people who offer me the gift of love. A good step towards being kind to others
  • I learned the importance of listening by being listened to
  • I traveled more than I did the years before and loved every second of it
  • I had more courage to stand up for what I believe in and for the people I love
  • I had the most soulful talks with my sister whose unconditional love is one of the greatest gifts in my life
  • I had the courage to say a proper goodbye to my Dad whom I am hoping to have around for many years still, while at the same time realizing that his present life is a tough one to endure
  • I got to meet beautiful people who have been tried by life in ways that are cruel and unfair, but their courage humbled me and made me reach inside and understand the depth of the human spirit
  • I learned to say no more often and be true to myself
  • I learned to open up and accept myself with faults and all
  • I learned to forgive, myself and others
  • I learned that by affirming my worth I will help my boys affirm theirs
  • I learned that I have great friends, and what a beautiful, heartwarming gift that is
  • I learned that asking for help is as important as offering it. And both are humbling necessary experiences
  • I learned to appreciate the simple joy of sipping a hot chocolate on a cold rainy Vancouver day and the beautiful quietness of a writing morning
  • I learned that as much as I want to I cannot change people, they can only change themselves and I can be there to offer my support should they need it

As for the next 365 to come, I wish for the following:

  • To remember that each day is a gift and make the best of it
  • To make people I care about feel loved and appreciated
  • To listen; really listen
  • To judge less and understand more
  • To count my blessings and teach my boys count theirs
  • To worry less about the things I cannot change and try my hardest to change the ones I can and should
  • To allow myself to be happy and encourage my boys to do the same
  • To laugh more
  • To simplify all that can be simplified
  • To open my eyes more and see more of my beautiful adoptive country

Here’s to a great year! See you on the other side!

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Blue Foot, Hopping and Other Cast-Related Issues

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That’s What I Think – Part 1

4 Comments

  1. Simo

    Multumesc ,astea sunt si gandurile mele pt tine!

  2. Laura

    Mult de invatat din ceea ce ai scris!
    Un an frumos de tot!
    Si la sfarsitul caruia sa scrii in lista de lucruri facute cele pe care le-ai pus acum la wish list.
    🙂 Hugs [from your beautiful ( vorbim de natura :)) ) mother country]

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