Finally!

I love this time of the year.  There is no other time of the year like this; when the world as a whole seems to sit back and act as they should the other ten months of the year.  People stop to ponder their blessings and express their gratitude outwardly for what they've been given.  They then switch their focus on themselves to others as they look for that perfect gift for the one they love.  Nothing tops the season.  

This has been a rough year for me.  It has quite honestly been the worst year of my life and it is easy to catalog why:  I spent 8 months in and out of bed with crippling pain and then lost my Father to cancer.  So, as much as I typically look forward to this time of the year, for me, this year, I am anxious for other reasons.  I am anxious for 2014 to come to an end so I can shake off the things that held my happiness captive all year; so I can launch into 2015 with grand expectations equalled by a grand attitude and a grand effort.  

I truly am anxious to put this year behind me, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize how blessed I am. Fortunately, I recognize my blessings in moments of high and low and I have many.  I have a beautiful wife who supports me always and picks up the slack when life requires it or when I can't.  I have the cutest daughter and most handsome son.  Both of which continued throughout the year to smile and laugh with me even when I didn't feel like smiling or laughing.  I have a Mother who does all she can to help me and my family in spite of her own health issues.  I have many cherished memories of my Father.  I have been blessed with amazing Brothers and Sisters-in-law, not to mention the dozens of friends and neighbors who have shown concern for my well being.  

So...to sum up...I am blessed and that is my focus.  I do not allow myself to be boxed in by a calendar often, but I am anxious to end this year on a high note and push forward to better things ahead.  2014, kiss my posterior!  2015, Look out!  You won't know what hit you!