The Year 2012~
This year was truly a year of ups and downs and learning
to accept things as they are. There’s a certain creativity that forms
when one has to make things work in less than ideal situations. There’s
also a surrender and peace that comes when we take our eyes off what
other people have going for them and instead appreciate what’s being
worked out in our own life. I’m still working on banishing the insecure
or jealous thoughts that still surface from time to time, but after this
year of in depth Bible study and more consistent communication with
God, I feel better equipped to deal with my thought life.
I usually start with the highs of the year and then go on
to the lows and my resolutions, but I have such great anticipation of
2013, that I want to end on the positives from 2012.
Lows of the Year
Losses- My grandmother passed two
days before last Christmas and that set the tone for 2012. During that
same week, we suffered yet another miscarriage. Six short months later
my Grandpa Weeks joined my grandmother in heaven. Then just before
Thanksgiving, Grandpa Yeargain, my last grandparent, passed quite
suddenly. Another death- and maybe the most jarring- was that of our
friend Alexia. She was our age and we still don’t entirely know what
happened. The reality of death and the fleetingness of life weighed on
us heavily this year. I definitely suffered from bouts of depression,
likely brought on by grief.
Stress- Jason’s job, things breaking in the house,
travel expenses, vehicle issues, the election, finances, health issues
and the busiest schedule I’ve ever had all contributed to our stress
levels being elevated to an all time high. We don’t deal well with
stress so it had an affect on our home life and relationships.
National tragedies- Even though
Hurricane Sandy did not hit our part of Florida, it did hit the part of
New Jersey that I grew up in. I felt a great sense of loss seeing
footage of one of the neighborhoods we lived in just decimated. There’s
just a sadness that can’t be explained when something happens to places
that are hallowed in our memories.
I think our whole country was just devastated by Sandy Hook school
killings. As a parent of a young child, it just shook me to the core.
Highs of the Year
St. Augustine- In January, I spent a long weekend in
St. Augustine with some of my besties. After our sad Christmas, it was a
refreshing and fun time.
School- Julian started K-4 this year. He loves it and is doing quite well.
Volunteering- I was really blessed to be able to
work with several wonderful charities this year doing everything from
helping with swanky benefits to sorting through garage sale donations.
Our church also provided opportunities to help the needy in our
community and I loved being a part of those.
Family time- This year Julian and I spent several
weeks up in Missouri. While it was not for fun reasons, we did get time
with our family members. After my grandfather’s funeral in November, my
mom was able to stop in Florida before heading back to India. It was
nice to have her here during the holiday season, even if it was a short
visit.
Tampa Bay Etsy Crew- Almost 2 years
ago I started a little team of Etsy sellers in the Tampa Bay area.
This year the team really took off. We’re now almost 850 strong and our
leadership has grown from 1 tired lady (me!) to 5 motivated, intelligent
and fun gals . We’ve had great monthly meet ups and even a couple big
events. While it’s been good for business, it’s been even better to
develop friendships within the creative community.
Georgia- After event season ended and before the
holiday sale season really got busy, I needed break. When Jason’s
parents invited us up to Georgia for Thanksgiving, we happily accepted.
Julian loves the country and we were able to really relax and just enjoy
a slower pace for a bit. On our way home we spent a couple days with
good friends and had a wonderful time with them.
Baby Jane- A little over a year ago, I’d been in
contact with the genetics team at USF regarding the many miscarriages
we’d had. After testing of the DNA of our lost babies, they’d found a
chromosomal issue that was not compatible with life. Since we have a
healthy boy and all the miscarriages tested were female, they told us
the abnormality was in the female chromosomes and that we could only
hope to have another boy. That made me a little sad, but I accepted it
and we moved on and started looking at other options.
There’d been so much loss already in the year that I really didn’t
think I could cope emotionally with another miscarriage. We decided to
try to prevent a pregnancy until we felt God’s leading to adopt or just
have one child or try again. Early October, we were shocked to find out I
was pregnant. We were cautiously optimistic (and remain so!) and just
thankful when every appointment was positive and the baby seemed to be
thriving. Last week we had an ultrasound, and much to our surprise (and
the doctor’s too), we saw that our baby is a GIRL! I can’t view that as
less than miraculous. So now I’m just trying to keep healthy and we’re
trying to wrap our heads around having a little girl. She’s expected a
week or so earlier than her June 1st due date and we intend to name her
Jane Marie. All praise be to God!
Resolutions
I’m actually not going to make any this year. We have a lot on our
plates for 2013 without heaping lofty goals on top of it all. It’s going
to be a bit of a balancing act, especially financially, but I know God
will guide us and keep us like He always has. I start this year with an
optimism I haven’t felt in a long time. Happy New Year!
