I See What You Meme

As 2013 draws to a close, everyone is focused on wrapping up the year and setting their sights on 2014.  Goals will be set.   Resolutions will be broken .  Lives will be changed one way or the other.  All of this goes without saying. This time of year has been difficult for me since 2009.  In fact, it's only been the last year or so that I approached anything resembling "normalcy" when it comes to acknowledging the holidays.  Just when I started to get my sea legs back, I was struck last year at this time with the sudden death of a good friend.   This year, there is an added wrinkle.  We have spent our Advent season most appropriately, anticipating and preparing not for the arrival of the Christ but for the child or children that UMFS may place with us once we officially open our home on January 13th.  Most of the physical preparations are done.  There are 2 rooms ready (at least generically) for up to 2 children.  The lock...

I often feel that February is the longest month.   I realize that in terms of actual  days, it takes up the smallest space on the calendar.  However, February is the last full month of winter. For those of us who live in the land of seasons, it can be dark, cold, wet, and downright gloomy.  The seasonal cheer of Christmas is far behind us.  Valentines day is done.  The season of Lent is upon us, so for Christians, this is a time of sacrifice and reflection.  The days can drag on. It is around this time every year that I feel the itch of spring.  The Earth is feeling it as well.  Our bulbs are inching their way to the surface.  The leaves are making their final free-falls from some of our trees in an effort to make space for new buds and leaves. The stores are filling with Easter baskets, pastel dresses, and (heaven forbid!) bathing suits.  We have days where the temperature barely pushes 45 degrees.  On other days, we are...

Have you heard this question a lot lately? I have.  Three years after losing Charlotte, I still feel like I don't quite handle the holidays well.  Worse, I still don't know how to answer this question.   On the plus side, I am blessed with a great job and had two full weeks (three full weekends!) of vacation time.  I completed a number of projects around the house and managed to work on some pending CJSTUF projects that had been on my to-do list for quite some time.  I had some grown-up playdates (AKA lunch!) with friends.  I was able to sleep in and managed to get in some pleasure reading as well.  Who can complain? On the other hand, I experienced the usual grief flare ups.  It actually started early, thanks to the horrible events in Connecticut .  Learning that any parent has lost their child, regardless of the cause, tends to open my heart up again. The ache returns. It was a rough week leading up to Christmas.  Then Christmas...

In preparation for my recent respite from the daily grind, I went in search of reading material.  This is not the time to tackle War and Peace or to catch up on the latest in my professional journals.  I needed some easy reading.  Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear? Be Happier This Year...in 9 easy steps. SOLD.   Now that I've read the articles, I'm ready to go sit on top of a mountain and dispense sage advice to wondering and wandering seekers of truth.  All snark aside, I was intrigued by the title subject.  Now, I not only have some insight into the concept of "happiness" but I also have a recipe for sweet potato veggie-chili that sounds super yummy.  I'd say I (at the very least) got my money's worth. As we head towards a new year, everyone is talking about Resolutions. Why do we set New Year's Resolutions if not to pursue some ideal that will make us, in the end, happier.  That's really the goal, right?...