I Bid Thee Adieu

It's time to say good bye to 2011, but not before a little reflection on the things that I truly am thankful for from this year that has past.  A few weeks ago I sat down to write my family's annual Holiday letter that accompanies our Christmas card.  This is by far one of my favorite things to do each year as it gives me time to really think about what went on for the past 356 days.  So every year I usually feel the same sentiments..."wow, this year has flown by," "here we are writing about another year," "it was a fun, loving, exciting...fill in the blank kind of year!"  This year was however different than the last few; and it may sound strange, but I honestly feel like I am leaving 2011 a lot different than how I entered it.

This past year was hard! We felt the effects of the economy and watched people we care about feel them too.  There was unemployment and all the emotions that go along with that.  We said goodbye to the friend who The Mayor was named after...and stood with my family to say goodbye to my step-brother Joe.  I walked away (sadly) from a friendship I thought would be there forever; and watched a lot of hard work fade away. But, even though it was rougher than most I have found things to be truly thankful for.  Good, bad, indifferent...this is that list...the list of things I AM thankful for.

The health of my family!  How cliche, I know.  Everyone is always saying they are thankful for the good health of their friends and family - but you know what, I really am.  I am thankful that my husband has had another great year of sticking to an amazing (and envied!) fitness routine.  I absolutely love that my son has a dad that is fit, active and a man to look up to.  And as for my health...a few ups and downs...a hospital visit or two...an upcoming round (another!) of physical therapy; but it's good.  You are not going to find me complaining...just going with the flow.  Oh, and The Mayor (my son for those of you who've not heard the reference) he is healthy, happy, thriving...and hopefully growing out of his lactose intolerance.  That's a lot of health to be thankful for.  I never take it for granted.

I am thankful for my family - the whole family - and there's lots of them.  I have parents, a step-parent and a father-in-law (who makes me think I won the in-law lottery sometimes); a brother, step-brothers and brothers-in-law; sisters, step-sisters, and a sister-in-law; aunts, uncles and cousins; nieces and nephews and blah, blah, blah.  I am thankful for them, but let's be honest...they can all be a little certifiable from time to time (find me a person who's not!).  But in the end, they are MY family.  One of the things about this year is that I have seen some of the relationships change - but some of them have changed for the better, and that is also something to be thankful for.

My friends are the Bomb!  Ok, I don't quite understand that statement.  And frankly, it sounds kind of immature.  But I have these amazing friends who make life so much better and a statement like that just seems to fit.  I could never ask for more than them.  So in the spirit of my friends, I am thankful for chats on the phone, chats over text messages, chats over IM and especially the chats in person.  Thank you for the meals shared, the tears comforted and for hiding the weapons when you see Jersey coming on full force. I feel truly blessed and sleep better at night knowing they will never post a bad photo of me on facebook.

Did I mention wine?  And good food?  Or, my Cookbooks and magazine-torn-out-recipes?  I know it might sound ridiculous to be thankful for those things...but they keep me sane.  I want to cook, and eat and drink good wine (and sometimes not-so-good wine if the company is right) - and I want to talk about and write about cooking, good food and wine.  I have found a happiness in a hobby this year that I want to continue and get better at it in 2012.  Cheers to that.

I am thankful for my hubby.  This year was a rough one for us - needless to say, the strength of our marriage has been tested.  We had ups and downs and round and rounds - and for the past six months we've even been living in separate states.  It would be easy to say that I am thankful for him because it's much easier than doing the day-to-day alone...but it's so much more than that.  I probably don't tell him enough how thankful I am, or how he saved me.  Not saved me in a literal "life-saving" way, but saved me from following a path in life that would never have proved to be what I needed - or wanted.  We started out on a journey a long time ago, and through that journey he's driven me nuts, made me laugh, made me cry and has even brought out the very worst in me.  But he's also brought out the best in me - and for that I love him and am thankful that I have him in my life, on my team and by my side.

My son has made me more thankful for my mom!  For that and a million other reasons I am thankful for that amazing little face that greets me every morning and hugs me a zillion times every night.  I love being his mom!  But I love that he has given me this new and fascinating appreciation for my own mom.  Being a mom is hard, and tiring, and confusing, and frustrating...but it's full of hope and dreams, too.  No matter how tired I am, frustrated or sad...mom has found this way of putting it all in perspective for me this past year.  The weird thing is that I can't even put my finger on what it is that she does that helps so much.

I am really looking forward to 2012.  Who knows what it will hold, or where it will take me.  It's a new year and a new start - and with that clean slate I'm going to work on treasuring all the little things in life that I truly am thankful for.  Happy New Year!!