Remembering 2012 and Looking Forward to 2013

2012 is now officially in the rear-view mirror, and we survived the end of the world! As I look back at those 12 months, I remember things that have happened over the last year that have changed me. 

I celebrated 15 years of marriage with my husband! My grandmother passed away after a long battle with Alzheimers and Dementia. Our younger daughter turned 13, officially making us the parents of two teenage daughters.  My girls achieved pretty awesome things in school, sports, and musicals. 

There were so many "moments", but one stands out. 

My oldest daughter turned 16 and had just gotten her Driver's License. After we  picked up her license on her birthday, she brought me home before venturing out on her first official "solo" drive to a friend's house. She kept saying, "Mom this is weird, I can't drive by myself. Are you sure you shouldn't go with me?". I gently nudged her out the door with an encouraging, "You've got to do this one all on your own.".  As she backed out of the driveway and drove down the road, my heart felt so heavy. I had been hiding, watching her leave from far away, where she couldn't see me. I knew then and there that my heart would never be whole again, without the new worries I was gaining that afternoon.

Do I have a New Year's Resolution?  I would love to lose 20 pounds, go to the gym every day, or go to bed by 9pm every night.  I will work on those things, but more importantly, I'll continue to work on making my little corner of the world a little brighter.  

As I look forward to 2013, I embrace my ability and willingness to make positive changes. Some days I'll pay for the coffee behind me in the drive thru, buy a friend's favorite candy bar when they are having a tough day, I may leave my change in the soda machine at work for the next person that might need that extra quarter, or just put a card on someone's desk to let them know someone cares about them. I have done these things for a long time. No one ever knows that they are from me because I don't advertise it. I only hope that someone smiles a little more that day and maybe passes the happiness on.  Life is too short to keep it to myself. :)