I love blessings

I love that we have these times of year and occasions in life that call for them

Greetings
Birthdays
Goings
New beginnings

(May the road rise up to meet you)

With the new year, there are always these lovely blessings to anticipate with hope and joy
And often, I have looked to them as a sort of talisman because the preceding year was so rough
When I saw this one I thought it was so delightful and had one of those
“Oh! Wouldn’t it be lovely if it worked out that way this next year!” thoughts

And, as I reflected,
I realized, that as hard as this year has been
(and make no mistake – it has been HARD!)
I realized that 2015 had already given me this list

Magic and Dreams were pretty scarce for so much of the year
But the fall brought back the joy of my salvation
and an end to the daily despair that rent great, secret sobs,
New friends that welcome me and my children
and the resurrection of a friend I thought gone forever
To have some of those voids filled is surely magical and dreamy

Good Madness
Yes. And some somewhat frightening realizations
(or perhaps reaffirmations?)
of how far I actually am willing to go
It surely is madness of the best, most dangerous kind

Reading Some Fine Books
Yes.
Still reading The Cellist of Sarajevo
and it is a fine novel
And there were others, though I cannot recall their titles

Kiss Someone who thinks I’m Wonderful
Yes.
More than one someone
and a couple I thought were wonderful as well
It is a heady thing to realize that someone thinks you’re wonderful
and a grave thing to realize you don’t share the depth of feeling,
such responsibility toward tenderness

Make Some Art
Yes.
I made some beautiful edits during my short-term freelancing
I have hand-written some beautiful letters and actually sent them
I am writing purposefully and much more often
I have helped make souls blossom
I have sung with people for larger purposes
And played piano for other’s art, too

Somewhere in the Year, Surprise Myself
Yes.
I went back to embrace the mantle of duty
I realized, and have begun articulating, that I will likely never get my daughter back
I am accepting what IS
I learned to ice skate
I have let people go I never thought I could or would
I bought tall boots that fit over my calves (!)
I found new love that isn’t killing me

I am excited to see how this next year unfolds
to see what new books
and beautiful souls
and dangerous madness
and wonderful skills
emerge

May you find these things in the year just past as well
and if they are hard to find
or small
May the next year magnify and add to them.