Our newest family member…

We’re well into 2013 and the holidays seem like a distant memory. Why is that? We build to such a crescendo around Christmas and the day after it’s like it never happened. When I was a kid, the Christmas season seemed like it lasted forever. Maybe that was the anticipation of Santa Claus, wondering if he would ever arrive. It just seemed like days of endless parties, lots of snow, fabulous holiday decorations and even a carry over into the new year. Now it’s how fast we can get the decorations down, how quickly can we return those stupid gifts and when will April get here?

So as I am briefly mourning the passing of the holiday season, it brings on thoughts of what 2013 will bring. I wonder what, if anything, will be different. I wonder what the joys and sorrows will be. Yes, I sometimes even wonder if this is the year that will be etched on my tombstone (thought I try to shake off those thoughts as quickly as I can). With all the craziness in the world today you just never know.

And what of 2012? What kind of year was it? Well, as years go, it was pretty normal and I like normal in my life. After having dealt with what “not normal” can be, I am always grateful for normal. And as I think about the past year, it occurs to me that I was blessed with one life lesson that was drilled home to me time and time again. Be grateful for every day and treat every day as a gift because no on is guaranteed tomorrow. When I think about the people I lost, or the hardships my friends and family have faced, or the insane actions of people on the news, I look up to the heavens and say “Thank you for the life you have given me. I have been truly blessed.”

So now on to the rest of 2013. And what will it bring? I know there will be things that I cannot control, but for the most part 2013 will be what I make it. It’s all within my power to choose, to be happy or sad, to be successful or a failure, to be rich or poor (and that is not necessarily a reference to money) – it’s all how I choose to author this year. And when I think about it that way, I feel empowered to do as opposed to being a victim of circumstance. So bring it on 2013. I will not let you be just like all the rest!