Goodbye 2010

This year has been crazy!

That about sums it up doesn't it? I have so many friends who have gone through difficulties this year. I have only a couple of friends who had wonderful things happen to them this year. And I even have a friend who got some very surprising, but ultimately wonderful news at the tail end of the year. That is one thing I think we can all agree on. This year has been...surprising! They have not always been good surprises, but when I think about all the things that have happened in my life, and in the lives of those close to me...it seems that, for the most part, the surprises, changes, and unbelievable things that have happened...have all ended up being for the best.

My life has changed utterly. But I am happy. There are things I wish had not happened, or at least had not happened the way they did...but I have discovered amazing things about myself. Strength, faith, courage, conviction, grace, and even a little bit of fire.

It is hard to be bitter, or even too upset about the past when it has taught me so much.

And while I still have my doubts and fears, and I still have a long way to go before some of the not so good things that happened to me are healed...I am truly excited about the future. I am excited about the new year, and I wonder what amazing surprises are in store.

While it is true that some awful things happened this year. I will look back on it fondly...ok, maybe not fondly...but I won't cringe when I look back. I have realized that many times when bad things happen, it is to bring us closer to who we really are. Bad things teach us, mold us, and give us the opportunity to truly shine.

I know many people will look back on this year and think "Good riddance!" I encourage you not to. I encourage you to reflect, to think about what this year had taught you..about life, and about yourself. I encourage you to say goodbye to the past as you said goodbye to your friends from high school on graduation day. Knowing that there had been laughter and tears, and that many of these people would no longer be a part of your life...just a memory.

That is how I feel as this year draws to a close. Bittersweet.

So, instead of saying "Thank GOD this year is over!"

Try saying "Goodbye 2010, thank you for the lessons and the memories" (Even if you don't really feel that way...attitude is everything!)

Give thanks for the good times, because they are special and wonderful. But give some thanks for the bad times too...they teach us, they make us stronger, and with out them, we wouldn't appreciate the good times quite as much. And sometimes...sometimes the things we consider to be bad, horrible even, turn out to be (or lead to) the best things that could ever happen to us.

And look at it this way...if 2010 was full of difficult changes, growth, and life lessons...that means that 2011 will be a bit more stable. ;)

Happy New Year!