Embracing a Positive New Year

Out with the old - In with the new...    

     How many times have we made this statement?   Speaking for myself, quite often.   Most of the time I made the comment sort of off the cuff, you know, not really thinking about the significance of it.   This year, like none before, I am so ready to do just that...not only make the statement, but actually take it seriously.

     As most of you know by now, 2011 has not been a good year for my family and me.   It has been the toughest year I have ever lived through.  Not to dwell on it but just to give you an idea, this time last year I was recovering from my second cervical spine surgery in just 17 months (my 5th spine surgery total).  That surgery has left many after affects due to damaged nerves.  In July I lost my mother unexpectedly in a car accident and later the same month I broke my ankle and was laid up over 2 months.  And that doesn't even cover financial difficulties on the farm and health issues with my husband's parents.  Enough of that.

     In spite of the hardships, I must say 2011 also held many blessings.  I am so blessed to have a loving family and great friends who provide such joy in my life.  In April thanks to an Avon convention I visited the beautiful city of Chicago for the first time and had a wonderful time with a whole bus full of terrific women.  We had a fun time and it was a trip I will never forget.    In July, the night I broke my ankle, before the accident, Kenneth and I had attended a charity concert and I not only got a date night with my handsome husband, I also got to hear Craig Morgan in concert and meet Jimmy Johnson, my favorite Nascar driver (we just won't talk about the rest of the night after the concert when I fell).     In October I went to the Smokey Mountains with 10 other crazy women and had the time of our lives (if you haven't already read them you must read my 3 posts on our hilarious adventures).  We had a fabulous family Christmas without all the hustle and bustle.  This past week I got to have another date night with my husband.  We went to Lexington to watch the UK Wildcats ballgame and then spent the night at the Hilton Hotel.  It was some much needed R and R for both of us and it was a wonderful time.  This is only a tip of the iceberg.  I could go on and on about the blessings of laughter and fun shared with family and friends.  

     While counting my blessings, I have to mention the  bright side that came out of my months spent recuperating after my broken ankle.  If not for all that time on my hands, not to mention the boredom, I would never have started blogging.  I knew absolutely nothing about blogging, who blogged, what they blogged about or even that it was something I might be able to do.  All I had was enough curiosity about it to check into it.  It wasn't too hard to find interesting blogs that I enjoyed reading.  The more I read the more I was hooked.  It didn't take me long to decide to try my hand at setting up my own.   And the rest, as they say, is history.  

     It would be really hard to adequately put into words what a blessing the blogging world has been to me.  I have made the most awesome friends from all over the world.  Each of you, in your own way, has opened up new worlds for me and allowed me to experience new places and new ideas.  In the beginning it was therapeutic helping me work through my grief and depression.  Then it became something I looked forward to and gradually it has become an addiction.  I love reading everyone's blogs and hate when I get behind.  I also love when you visit my blog and leave a message.  Your kind and encouraging words have fueled the fire that I always kept hidden deep inside.  I want to write.  I want to share my stories, even if it is only through my blog.   Thank you all for that.  You all have a special place in my heart.

     So now, as I write the last blog of 2011, it is time to put the past year to rest and look forward to the exciting possibilities ahead in 2012.   I am looking forward to a great year full of God's abundant blessings.  I hope your outlook is for a year full of wonder and surprises as well.  I wish for you everything your heart desires in the new year.  May all your dreams come true and I'll see you next year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat