The End of Chapter 2016

It’s an odd time of year isn’t it?  We’re getting ready to, in theory, put the old behind and look forward to the new.  It’s like ending a chapter in a book.  I don’t feel “nostalgic” for 2016, I’m glad it’s almost behind me, but I have spent a good part of this week thinking through it.

Much like any other year there were highs and lows.  The highlights, for me, were our travels.  We were able to go to Florida at the end of January, Maine in late spring, to the Midwest to visit my family during the summer, another long weekend in Maine this past fall and then Pennsylvania over Thanksgiving.  We also had two visits from David’s youngest daughter, Jila.  I became an aunt (again) in early December which always makes me smile.

The lows…mostly all work-related.  Our office lost a small fortune when our billers decided they didn’t want to do the work required.  We didn’t catch on to what was happening for a few months and when we finally did we had to really scramble or close our doors after 40+ years.  Since my husband is an optometrist and the billing was medical we weren’t able to recoup all of it.  In medical billing you have timelines and if you don’t get your claims in by a certain time after the exams your claims are rejected and you aren’t paid.  It took us a few months to discover because even when a claim is filed on time we may not be paid until 45 days later so the finances are always kind of precarious and we’re used to that.  I had to learn medical billing in about two weeks!  It was a scary year for us as we struggled to catch up financially, we’re still struggling but at least now we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

2016 was intense.

January 1, 2017 we move on to the next chapter and we’re hopeful.

I’m Celebrating Boxing Day!

My friends in Canada talk about Boxing Day.  They told me it’s a day they spend visiting friends and family, sometimes they bring small gifts but more often than not they don’t.  It’s just a time to catch up and wish them well.  Traditionally you have food prepared for anyone who may visit you that day.  Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful holiday?!  I can imagine that it would change the face of society to be kinder.  If you know and acknowledge your neighbors it’s harder to cut them off in traffic, right?  It may generate more real conversation about things that actually matter.  I don’t know but I do think it’s an amazing tradition to have and one that matters.

This year I’m trying to reach out to as many people as I can to “visit” online and wish them all the best in their lives.  My wish for you is that you, your family and your friends have and accept the many opportunities to express your love for each other to each other.  I wish you blessings in great abundance and much loving kindness.

Happy Boxing Day!!!

Christmas. Sometimes it’s Hard but we can Still Celebrate and Create New Memories

I thought this would be the year I could feel good about celebrating Christmas again.  Both my parents passed away within the past 7 years and I’ve had a tough time celebrating major holidays since then.   They were both like little kids when it came time for Christmas, my Mom decorated her house more heavily than the Griswold’s, seriously, every nook and cranny had some decoration in it.  My Dad would sing along with Elvis’s “Blue Christmas” complete with the special sideburn sunglasses my sister bought him.  He’d do anything to make us laugh!  We weren’t the “Walton’s” but there are plenty of good memories of times past.  I miss them.

This week we’ve had my husband’s youngest daughter, Jila, visiting us and that has been a real blessing.  We got a tree, basically just for her.  David and I were alright to forego having one.  The two of them went out and picked it out.  When they came home, we set it up and the two of them got the decorations out and were about to start decorating when Jila decided to put on some Christmas music….  I definitely wasn’t ready for that, the memories and sadness just flooded over me.  I didn’t want them to be upset so I watched from a distance but didn’t really participate much beyond that   I finished writing out the cards so we could actually mail them before Christmas for a change and waited for them to complete their project.  The tree is beautiful, they did a wonderful job and once the music was turned off I felt a little less stressed and could appreciate it more.

I have to bring Jila back to her Mom’s house tomorrow so we’re celebrating with her tonight.  She prefers handmade gifts, gifts of the heart and for the life of me I couldn’t think of what to do but today I saw a video of someone making a photo candle and I knew that she would love to have one of her and her Dad  🙂  I’ve made one and gotten her a couple of smaller gifts to open.  To us, my husband and I both, she has been our gift, her visit.  She brought us out of ourselves and we are celebrating Christmas with her.  It’s another precious memory to store in our hearts.

Being Grateful

We’re having a very nice visit with Jila, my husband’s youngest daughter.  The two of them are out on a hike right now and I’m happy that they take full advantage of their times together.  On their way home they’re stopping off to get our Christmas tree and then, after dinner tonight, we’ll all work to get it decorated.  Our time with her is joyful and I feel blessed to be able to build on our relationship.  In the past it hasn’t always been so smooth and I’m sure there will probably be times in the future too that aren’t either so I’m truly grateful for these times.  It can be tough when you have blended families so it’s important to make the most of it when you have the opportunity.  I know that when I was younger I was a living terror to my step-mother but through the years we’ve been able to develop a loving relationship.  My Dad passed away 3 years ago and we’re still close.

Jila leaves on Thursday morning, I’m actually driving her to her Mom’s so they can celebrate Christmas together while her Dad has to go back to work.  I find it a little hard to stay in the present because I’m already sad she’s leaving so soon but I know that we’re creating memories that will last long after the visit and for that I’m grateful.

The photo is about 5 years old but it’s of Jila and her Dad 🙂

Moments of Peace — Meditated Faith

Moments of Mindfulness We don’t always have enough time to dedicate to our meditation practice or prayer life the way we envision. Or feel pressured we aren’t praying/meditating the correct way in the correct amount of time. Adding in Christmas to-do list only shortens this time, so how can we pencil in moments of peace? […]

via Moments of Peace — Meditated Faith

Deep Breathing

That’s what this week is all about  My husband’s youngest daughter, Jill, arrived this morning, they still aren’t back from the airport, and all I can think of is what hasn’t been done!  Yikes.  Usually procrastinating, for me anyway, means I’ll be sweating when she arrives but the house will be clean but this time I just can’t get myself up and running.  Breathe in, breathe out.  To use a cliche:  “what will be will be.”

We haven’t even gotten a tree yet because the weather was so bad last weekend.  It may be time to pull those fake garland out from the garage and put them around the house…or better yet, wait for Jill to arrive and we can all do it together.  That can be a form of celebration too, right?

It’s our busy time of the year at the work so when we come home we’re pretty wiped out.  We aren’t very “good” at Christmas anymore and that makes me a bit sad that these past few years we tend to celebrate afterwards.  We’ll go to Christmas Mass and have a nice meal but to really relax and reflect, we save that for after the holidays when it’s calmer at the office.  Maybe one of these days, when we retire, we’ll get back on the regular Christmas schedule  🙂  Here’s hoping!  Until then:  breathe in, breathe out and then repeat.

The above photo was taken at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Massachusetts.  It’s a decoration designed with living plants!

Ever Evolving

The past several weeks have been tough as I had to make a decision about whether to continue or call it quits with Avon.  Honestly it’s been a fairly expensive venture for someone who doesn’t even wear make-up!  I’ve always loved Avon but have found that it’s not so popular in the Northeast where I live  I’ve made the decision and have stopped promoting it.  I can’t say “selling” it because that was never a problem, lol.

I made a few ornaments as gifts for people in my family this year.  They requested them!  This isn’t something I’m willing to do for many as each one took about 6 hours but it was special to be able to do it for them.  The last one I made like this survived almost 40 years so 6 hours seems insignificant when you put it into perspective.  That being said…my art and crafts have been fairly popular throughout my life so I may try to spend more time on it.  I like creating things.  I like being busy.  That’s a good combination and I feel blessed to have it.  I can’t promise a lot of posts but hopefully they’ll be interesting and I’ll share things from others that I think are interesting.