Looking Back on 2102

So, this is the time of year when we look back before looking ahead. So many changes always happen in a year - and so many things stay the same. Isn't it always that way?

The clan at the end of 2012
Buttercup - 4, Bruiser - 8, Chef - 10, Mr. Magoo - 22 months, Maestro - 13
and the White Knight

The first six months of 2012 were filled with packing, giving away and more packing. The last six months have been a blur as we've settled into our new home, but I am going to pretty well stick to those for my top ten moments of 2012:

1. We moved to a new place, in which we know no one and have no family nearby.
2. We found a place in which we can truly be part of a church family.
3. We've re-learned that giving things away is far more blessing than it feels like when sentiment grabs your heart and tries to make you keep "stuff."
4. We've spent a lot of time away from Pop, and have created our own dynamic for making sure things get done.
5. Letting the kids try out their own ideas leads in directions that I would never have considered, and usually for the good
6. My kids can be a huge inspiration and encouragement for trying new things (like starting a new business, reading different types of books, etc.)
7. It is possible to create stronger friendships, even when you're farther away
8. Taking brief times out for myself can be a blessing to my children. 
9. I want to lead my family down healthier pathways, especially as my oldest children get closer to making all their decisions on their own
10. I've had to drink from the same cup my mother did when I was 13. At 13, I decided to stop eating meat in a household in which everyone ate meat; now my oldest is 13 and has finally earned the right to make that choice for himself. It is only my just deserts that he now eats meat. 

It has brought about some amusing moments though, such as when he tried to tell me the other day that "it's very hard to stay vegetarian all the time, Mom." (Yeah, it's been impossible for me to stay veg for the last 23 years!)

And moments in which I have been quite proud of him - such as when he declined to eat meat at a party we were all at because his dad taught him "not to divide the table."

My blessings of 2012 have been many, and I've seen some truly good "wow" moments come this year - moments of kindness, caring and giving among human beings. It has allowed the sad "wow" moments of 2012 to have a blunted affect. Those moments have opened doorways to discussions with my children that were so important.

I am looking forward to 2013. When we moved from our Baltimore home, where we spent ten years, and most of the children's lives (in most cases all of their lives), we hoped that making such a move would give us space to make a fresh start. We wanted to discard old "things", old habits, and old lethargy. We have given away truckloads of things to needy families, thrift stores, etc. We have worked at replacing old habits with the new; we have rekindled our passions for old hobbies. My goals for 2013 are going to be hard work, but I am ready. I am making plans, so they'll be more successful.

Whatever lies in the as-yet-locked time vaults of 2013 - Bring it. I'm ready.