An end and a beginning...

I've never been fond of New Year's.  It's always been a melancholy holiday for me.  I look back over the past year and instead of seeing what I did accomplish or the joys we shared, I always wind up focusing on the failures and what didn't happen. 

I'm not going to do that this year. 

Yes, this has been a tough year for our family.  Matt and I went through a lot of marital problems, separated, nearly divorced, and reconciled.  My cousin was killed while serving in Afghanistan.  Several family members' health is declining.  Matt got laid off from his job three days before Christmas.  We still weren't able to get pregnant.

But you know what?  Even though all of those negatives happened in 2009, there were still a lot more positive things that happened. 

I was able to take 2 trips to Minnesota to visit my sister this year.

My husband and I, through the trials we faced, have a stronger marriage now than we ever thought possible. 

I have reconnected with a dear friend I've know literally since the day she was born, and we have grown closer the past few months than I could have imagined.  I treasure her friendship and hope she knows how much of a blessing she is to me.

Both Matt and I have started down the path to rebuilding our personal faith and relationships with God.  We (I) have a long way to go, but the first steps have been taken on a journey that I know will be good for us both.  We will be attending a New Year's Eve Service of Remembrance tonight at the church we attended on Christmas Eve. 

Tonight I will say goodbye to 2009 with some sadness for the things that didn't happen or the endeavors that didn't quite reach the bar. 

But I will also hold my arms wide open to embrace all the possibility and hope that 2010 holds.

It is my wish for everyone reading this, all my friends and family, people I have yet to meet and people I may never meet that 2010 is a year of happiness, health, and dreams come true for us all.