Why, hello there Blended community. And Happy New Year! My delayed presence in this space has been caused by so very many things. Among them a series of illnesses that have left our New Year less than happy. Just yesterday my always intentional four-year-old grabbed his zip-lock bag of confetti and gathered each of us in the living room. One by one he filled each of our cupped hands with strips of multi-colored paper shreds, while he counted down from 10. When he arrived at one, he screamed “Happy New Year!” and we threw the confetti up over our heads smiling and cheering that 2014 has indeed arrived. Apparently we needed a do-over. We marked this New Year yesterday, on January 8th at 4:12PM. And so with fresh hope, I believe that 2014 has more to offer than bad news.
In some ways I have felt like a sprinter who is primed and ready to leave the blocks but the gun never fires and so I languish in the blocks waiting for a chance to start the year with fervor and excitement. That moment has finally arrived.
You may recall that I have profound dislike for New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, last year when setting out on my – and our – Dinners Around the World journey I labeled it a ‘goal’ rather than being oppressed by the very nature of the word ‘resolution.’ This year as I move forward (albeit a little later than I had hoped) I have been focusing on my intentions for the year.
Guided by wise others, this year I am choosing a word of the year to give me clearer focus and mission. Do you do this? I don’t always enjoy introspection that leads to overarching themes, in fact I tend to flee from these kind of exercises. But, this year, I have had input from a few different places and have set out on the journey to choose a word. The process has definitely left me more grounded and focused at the beginning of 2014.
Having a place to steer from as I start this new year resonates with me as we are facing a new and different season in our Blended family. There are new questions, emotions, fears, and much processing that have arisen (because the adoption journey is never complete and always changing) in just the past nine days of this new year. My children are growing and with that comes new responses and feelings to how we engage life as a Blended family. I will be writing from these new experiences in the days ahead and so look forward to sharing them with you.
Welcome 2014 and Happy New Year Blended family!