As I look back over the last year I’m wonder-struck. What a year. What a wonderful, marvelous tough and challenging year. I know everyone is spending today looking forward. The first of January is the day to dream big and put plans into motion. It’s like opening a brand new spiral notebook. There is so much possibility. So much could happen and the first sheet sets the tone for the whole book, the first day sets the tone for the whole year. Mentally I’m feeling fractured today though. I’m making plans for the next 12 months, setting challenges for myself, picking out guiding words. Yet I am also looking back on the previous 12 months. I think before I fully step into the new year, I’ll spend just one moment more looking back.
Last night I sat around my kitchen table and talked with friends about fond memories from 2012 and plans for 2013. I asked everyone last night what their favorite memory of 2012 was. Everyone stared back at me as if I had just issued a huge challenge. Well, I had issued a huge challenge. How do you pick a single moment from over 500,000 minutes of the past year and crown it the memory of memories? The responses were slow coming at first. I think we were all nervous to pick a single memory. Actually, picking my moment was pretty easy. It might sound cliche to pick a moment surrounding the birth of my daughter because I’m a mother so of course my moment is around my daughters, but I can’t help it.
When I look back on 2012, a year filled with bright moments, I can easily see the single brightest moment of my year. The moment when a still sleepy Madeline excitedly climbed into my bed next to me to meet the sweet new baby in my arms. I still get teary-eyed thinking about it. Every. Single. Time. That moment in my bedroom symbolizes all the work and preparation we put into making a home birth happen, the love Madeline had for her sister starting the moment she knew she would one day have a little sister, the strong bond Luke and I have, and the relief that I felt to have conquered the challenge of natural unmedicated childbirth in the peaceful comfort of my home. That moment shines among a long list of shiny moments.
Of course there are other highlights from my year though. If I had to describe 2012 in one word it would be new.
New home
New jobs
New schools
New baby
New boundaries
New experiences
New challenges
New outlook
New friendships
New.
With each new thing there are countless memories to go along with it. The first time we saw what was to become our new home. First days of school. Bottles of wine shared with friends. Difficult- but important- discussions. Snuggles and kisses. Introducing our Delaney to the world. 2012 was full to the brim. I can’t wait to discover the defining word for 2013.
What word best describes your 2012?
1 comment
What a wonderful year… full of good things and some ones I’d like to forget. I wish us both, a wonderful 2013. I can’t wait to see what adventures the year holds.