Lessons Learned ~ The Year In Review

Saying Good Bye to 2011

I have to say this past year was not what I had expected. When it started, we had family and friends helping us pay for our rent and bills, we were in a place of accepting food from churches and family. Hope was at rock bottom, as was the belief that anything would change in the coming year. It was not a happy way to start the year of 2011. However, as the year progressed, things began to turn around. This did not happen rapidly, and it was an exercise in patience.

Last year I choose the word BELIEVE. I began a journey in late 2010 of using Law Of Attraction, counting my blessings and keeping a gratitude journal. Some things that I was trying to attract using LOA actually came to be, some rather quickly and some a bit slower. Some things have not happened at all, but I feel that they just might in 2012. I received flack from some for writing about my belief and use of LOA, as well as reading astrology posts, and getting Goddess readings.. claiming I had gone to the dark side. I countered that I had not lost faith in God, but was open to all avenues of guidance, and that I said God had many ways of reaching us...even unconventional ways. I do not plan to go over all that just now, all I can say is the journey I began about this time last year has included many blessings and I do not feel dark forces were at play. 

In the journey that I began, I learned as I mentioned patience. I have more of it in waiting for things to happen, waiting on God's timing. I stopped blaming HIM for what happened to a nation, the world really, not just myself. I learned to have more of it with people. Not allowing people to get under my skin and to affect who I was , am and who I wish to be. Something I had basically allowed my entire life. I learned to accept those around me with a greater compassion than ever before, figuring I did not know their story, what had brought them to the point of who they are now and how they act towards others, I stopped taking it personally, and I started showing love and kindness where once hate, dislike and anger once held a place. I see that so many close to me have not been able to do that and it saddens me...just today I had that experience with someone close to me and it truly saddened me...but that is a different post as well. 

This past year using the word BELIEVE has been nearly magical. I even got it tattooed on my wrist. I needed a reminder quite often when bad things, set backs would happen, and yes there has been many, but somehow, reminding myself to believe things would get better, turn around and were as they should be, even if I did not like it, made dealing with life far easier. I accepted things, which is not the same as giving in or giving up, but just that there must be a reason for what is happening, one I may never see or understand, but it must exist. 

My journey lead me back to finding myself again. Reconnecting with old loves, a love of era's that have passed. A love of fashion, a love of simple things and being happy and content with less. It lead me to new friends, friends I may not have been acquainted with in the past. It also lead me away from those that it was time to let go of, though I shall never stop having a special place in my heart, for the good times shared. It lead me to accept others as they are, and to stop trying to mold them to how I wanted or expected them to be...though I admit it is a three step forward, two back process.

The journey has been one full of twists and turns, ups and downs and even going in circles. It has taught me to relax as I go through the process. I have slept better, no more rapid thoughts of gloom and doom keeping me up. I do not embrace the day with dread. Not all days are wonderful, and I am sure once the cold, gloomy days of Winter finally arrive ( been a very sunny, mild past couple of months), there will be times when blues set in, but I feel I may be in a better place to handle it...that is my hope anyway as we enter 2012.

I have a lot to look forward to , our daughter, possibly two daughters getting married. Seeing friends and family again who I have not in such a long time. There is a great possibility that we will be able to qualify for a loan next Summer, and start looking to be home owners again...which both frightens and excites me! That , WHEN it happens will start me on another journey in life, the next chapter, which of course I shall share with you, my readers.Just hoping the world does not end on December 21st 2012....that would be a disappointment for sure! I look forward to in between time being busy with travels to new areas of our area, seeing and doing new things to share. Time spent prepping for the upcoming wedding(s), and our oldest daughter moving back to our area from Arizona, even if just for a short period of time. I know that there will be unexpected happenings, good and bad, and I am ready to accept them, roll with the punches, BELIEVE that having patience will bring wonderful things as a result. 

There is so many other things I can include that changed, and did not over the last year, but then if you have been a reader, you know all about them. I so appreciate and count you all as a blessing in my life, even if we never communicate past your reading these posts. That you have stuck with me through all the various bunny trails I have "hopped" down with this blog, means so very much.

As 2012 begins tomorrow,I am excited to see where things go, both in life and with this blog. I know that I plan to continue to share books I have read (which reminds me I need to update the book shelf page soon), wineries we discover and re-discover, recipes from time to time. I shall continue to share my adventures in trying to create my middle aged me style that is based on ages ago. I shall share my latest self improvement of me books as I come upon them, sharing the journey they take me on. There will be fun vintage posts (you all seemed to love October's Ghosts of the Past posts). Here and there I shall share the preps for the wedding(s), the process of seeking approval on a loan, then hopefully searching for a home, and then the remodeling of the home (bringing the blog full circle to where I started, when I shared decor/shopping for it, and putting it together on a shoe string budget)...it will be like the DIY show Renovation Realities ...won't that be a fun ride? I am sure the year of 2012 will also hold so many yet to be discovered subjects for the blog. I can not promise you that I shall post daily as I once did (you may have noticed I have gone to only about 3x a week) or that there will be regular days in which I post...or that the posts will get shorter...though I am sure there will be days. I will always be a grab your cup of coffee and a snack sort of blogger. 

I am open to suggestions of subject matter, the what you like and do not like..I think I can handle it. I encourage you to email me, chat with me on TWITTER, and I REALLY encourage you to follow on my FACEBOOK fan page (the link is to your right) ...The FB fan page is where I share fun vintage photos, videos as well as inspirational items. There will be things on the FBFP that you will not see here in the blog! I post each and every day there and plan to continue to do so as much as I can. I hope you will join in the fun, and tell your friends too!

I know that my blog is not everyone's cup of tea (or joe), it is long winded. It is all over the place. You never know what will pop into my brain and land on the page. I do not have contests...though you never can tell. I just might one day...if I can figure out how to work the random picker thing. But at least you can always count on what is before you is a piece of my heart that I am sharing willingly, full of love, hope, belief and patience.  I hope that in 2012 that you find these same qualities in your own life and that it brings you great blessings as you take your own journey...and hopefully follow mine.