"It's a new day, a new beginning. You can't change what happened yesterday. You can only learn from it and move forward."Our family had nothing earth-shattering happen this year. Yay for us - it's been awhile. It's so much easier to review a year that has gone well, that has been prosperous, that has seen good health and good decisions.
(M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled)
In reviewing my year, I know I have a few things I need to change and/or work on. Although I've improved dramatically, I still need to work more on not offering my daughter advice - on finances, on her love life, on how she raises Mr. B. She's a responsible adult and I need to treat her that way. On the other hand, I do need to come to an agreement with her -- don't tell me your problems and then get upset if I give advice. It's an easy fix. If you don't want advice, don't tell me the problems. I'm your mom. I love you and I want to fix things for you. It's the way I am.
I had a small scare this year in regards to my son. I'm not going to give details. I will just say to him, I love you and I still worry about you, but I do have faith in you. Enough said.
My husband has worked so much this year, but finally it seems to be work he loves, rather than work forced on him, so I'm OK with that. He is good about trying to find a bit of balance between work and family, especially since he is Mr. B's only dependable male role model and there's an obligation of time and energy that goes along with that. He does well to meet that obligation and I do appreciate that about him.
My beloved Mr. B. has grown up so much this past year. He's almost 5 years old now, and has an old, wise personality. He's not a quiet child - not noisy, but very, very talkative, and that can be difficult when he's with me 10 hours a day, but then I just stop and think that come September he will be in school and my time and role in his life will change dramatically. This little boy adds a lot of laughter, giggles, and fun to my life, and I'm grateful for that. I didn't have time to enjoy all this with my own kids (or I didn't realize how precious my time with them was or how quickly it would go by!), so I remind myself daily to enjoy my time with Mr. B. I am so very grateful he is in my life.
For myself, I'm fairly happy with how my life is going right now. Isn't that a wonderful statement to be able to make? Oh, my house could be cleaner, my world could be better organized, and I could sew and quilt more than I do, but I'm quite happy with how things are overall. Jeff and I will celebrate our 33rd anniversary this year, and the man still makes me laugh and still makes my heart go pitter pat, and I believe I do the same for him. How lucky am I? I do still miss my family and friends in New England, despite the fact we moved away 23 years ago! Like a plant's roots that stretch to get to water, my roots yearn to thrive once again on New England soil. Someday...
This year I hope to accomplish more in the sewing room and more in the garden. But that's about all the pressure I want to put on myself for now. I will continue to be involved in politics and would like to find somewhere local to volunteer - with an eye toward spending time with senior citizens that have no one visiting them or looking in on them.
As the old year fades, the new year is bright and fresh and offering all kinds of opportunities and challenges. My only New Year's Resolution is to take each day as it is handed to me and to be grateful for it, and to try to remember what is important and what is not, and act acccordingly.
A very happy New Year to you and yours. Thank you so much for taking precious time from your day to stop by my blog. I appreciate you, dear blog readers!
2 comments:
A very Happy New Year to you and yours, Joan. It's wonderful that you're so introspective... something I have to work on for myself. Hope 2011 is as wonderful as 2010 has been for you. Love you!
Cutting the apron strings is always harder on the Mommie than it is on the child. (smile)
Trust that you raised your child right and now it's time to see her practice all she's learned. If she tells you her problems it's because she doesn't want to cut both apron strings, just one.
She wants to know you trust her to finally be a woman and at the same time you will still be there to listen and lean on for support when needed.
I hope my daughter never cuts both apron strings.
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