My youngest child got her ears pierced Sunday. It was a big day.
She’s eight, so it’s a big responsibility for her. She has to clean and turn her new earrings three times a day, make sure there’s no infection, and of course, make fashion decisions about her earrings.
This momentous occasion in the life of an eight-year-old (and her mom) has capped off what was a year of momentous occasions. This last blog of 2015 is by no means a “best of” but a look back on a big year.
In January of 2015 I put my home of 12 years on the market, and after many love letters to that home and seven months of showings, we finally sold our beloved house. In March, handsome fiancée and I took all five of our children to Israel. It was the trip of a lifetime and a great bonding experience (along with plenty of arguments) for our new family. Later that month we also bought a 1947 rambler, which would become our blended family home. In April, the renovation began . . . and it’s still going. Oy! In June all of my children went to sleep away camp. The quiet was awesome, but I missed them like crazy.
Not everything was sunshine and roses in 2015. I struggled at work sometimes with challenging personalities and personal growth. I didn’t put as much effort into my Judaism as I would like. I fought with handsome fiancée and my kids more than I wanted. I let my ego get the best of me too many times. I didn’t meditate or do yoga nearly as much as I needed.
And then there were external struggles. My mother was found to have markers in her blood that can be pre-leukemia. My father-in-law is losing his battle with Alzheimer’s. A friend of handsome fiancée’s died quickly from cancer, another friend has been on a transplant waiting list for too long, and still another dear friend is battling an autoimmune disease. Also, the hormones of a 12-year-old girl have ravaged the peace of our tight-knit family more times than I can count.
I can’t look back on 2015 without acknowledging the good and the bad. Thankfully this year, there was more good. When we sold the house in October, my wonderful, generous, kind BFF allowed us to live in her home for more than a month while ours was being renovated. We took a fantastic cruise down the Danube with many terrific WCCO radio listeners. We finally moved in to our new home the day before Thanksgiving. A week later, we got married. Definitely more good than bad.
There’s much more for both the positive and negative columns of my 2015, but when I look at the new sparkly hypoallergenic earrings in my baby’s ears, and her giant grin in between them, I can definitely focus on the good.
This week I wish you a big 2016 with more good than bad.
