Friday, December 30, 2011

Buh-Bye, 2011 (Don't let the door hit ya...)


This post syarted out as a recap of all the $hitty things that happened this year. It was going to be a LONG post! Instead, I'd rather focus on the upsides of it all, wherever possible.

Downside #1: My Mother in law (MIL) came to live with us while she underwent radiation therapy for a rare form of cancer in her pallatte. It wasn't her living there, or even tge radiation tgat was such a drag. It was going through the side effects with her, being scared out of my mind. Many stressful visits to the ER & a side of family drama.

Upside #1: The "home health angel" was really more of a support for me as a care taker. I would've lost my marbles for sure if it hadn't been.for her. I also became close friends with my MIL, in a way that never would have happened otherwise.

Downside #2: My Uncle Bruce passed away in July. It took a while to sink in...and then I saw firetrucks at a 4th of July festival. I realized then that I'd always thought of my uncle, the fire captain, whenever I saw a fire truck or there was some huge fire in Cslifornia. I beat myself up a bit over not kerping in better touch, especially when he went through his own battle with throat cancer.

Upside #2: I grew a lot through the grieving process. His funeral became a sort of family reunion as well. That in and of itself was quite an adventure!

Downside #3: The death of my (step-) brothers' dad. My heart breaks for my brothers.

Upside #3: I am realizing that funerals will become more frequent in my life. More personal growth! Another mini-family reunion. This time I saw my "step-and-a-half" sisters for the first time in probably 25 years!

Downside #4: #%%*/*-&%@@&&*  Jury Duty. NOW I see why everyone wants to get out of it! This was a murder case with no frickin evidence & sketchy witnesses! It was so intense & stressful.

Upside #4: More growing up for Sara. I got to see some ugly parts of the real world we live in, up close & personal. I got to experience how the judicial system works. I plan to write a book about it, so maybe I'll make a few bucks! If nothing else, I'll be able to scratch "write a book" off my bucket list.

There were many more highs (like learning of my sister's pregnancy & spending New Years Eve with her & her husband)& lows in 2011 (like getting rear ended at Christmas), but these were the biggies for me. I feel like I've aged 7 years, but I'm trying to look at hown much I've GROWN on the inside.

No doubt about it, 2011 sucked big time and I'm not at all sad to see it go. The good news is, "His mercies are new every morning." It's a New Year with it's own challenges & opportunities.

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