A Farewell to 2011 and My Wish for You in 2012...

I'm having trouble believing that this year is coming to a close. As I get older, it seems as if you blink and a month has gone by. Other times, it feels like some months (especially the hot ones) will never end. 

I turned 32 this year. It's been relatively good to me so far, if you don't count the gray hair. 

It's funny how life hands you the unexpected. Relationships rebuilt, others destroyed or left to fade on their own. Kids who swallow marbles or drink half a bottle of Dimetapp. There are the unexpected blessings of checks in the mail just when you need them the most or a car full of paper towels, toilet paper and sixteen jars of Skippy peanut butter. You find that your marriage has gone from being almost completely destroyed to stronger than ever, and all because you opened up the lines of communication.


This year, I've found myself back in church and involved in a Bible study group. I am kinder with my words (if you don't count last night, when I yelled "could you please move, because I've already had to sit behind you for fifteen minutes while you, Miss Brain Surgeon, attempted to order fast food and I have things to do that don't involve smoking crack and blowing my boyfriend."). I am less likely to lash out at my children. I have found patience in ways I never thought I could, forgiveness where I never expected to and indifference where I used to feel hatred. 

Not that this year has brought me perfection. No, I've been shown just how completely imperfect I am. But, 2011 has shown me that I'm okay with that, though I don't think I'll ever stop trying to be better than I am right now (you can forget the notion of me letting my house go). And let's face it, I'm kind of awesome.


Some things never change.


So as this year ends and another begins, I wanted to give you the list of things I wish for you in 2012. 

1. I wish you peace. Not just in your personal life or relationships or even in financial peace. I hope that you can find peace within yourself. That you find that you are happy with who you are and where you are in your life. 

2. I wish you joy. A joy so tremendous that nothing can quiet it. The joy of children, marriage, prosperity. I hope that you find joy in your friendships and joy in those little things that we don't always notice. Sunrise and sunsets, the way your husband looks when he hasn't shaved in three days, a good meal cooked by someone you love. 

3. I wish you good health. Physically and mentally. 

4. I wish you forgiveness. Because there are few things that feel better than letting go of those things that we all tend to hold on to for far too long. 


5. I wish you good friends. We can never have too many of those. The people who stick by you when you're at your worst and rejoice when you're at your best. I hope that you find friends in unexpected places and build lasting relationships. 


6. I wish you luck.


7. I wish you better Presidential candidates. 


8. I wish you laughter. Because this is one of those years where I've been so very thankful for a house full of it.


9. I wish you love. Our lives are so empty without it (and I wish that you don't automatically don't start singing I Will Always Love You...the Whitney Houston version). 


10. And finally, I wish you clear skin, good hair days, dental health and days upon days of no bloating! 


Happy 2012 friends! May it be even more awesome than 2011!