It is absolutely unreal to me that this year is nearly over. It has been said that whatever you are doing when the new year rolls in is what you will spend your year doing, so make it good. I have found that to be true in some sense every year. However, when 2010 arrived I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from a nasty virus. I was supposed to be packing to move and planning a small wedding with my knight in shining armor, but instead was removed from my kids and my work staff for that week following Christmas. I was rediculously sick and literally slept for seven days. I was forced to depend on others and nearly everytime I opened my eyes my knight was there in the chair next to my bed. My dearest and closest friend (Christy) had me placed on her floor in the hospital so she could effectively oversee my care and Kurt only left when necessary. The new year arrived as Kurt kept me company and my nurse (who was hand picked by Christy) brought us sparkling cider for a midnight toast. Our wedding was just 10 days away and the move just 9 days and my staff had survived the year end madness in my store without me. My sister-in-law had come to my house and spent a day packing with my daughters. My father (the ultimate knight in shining armor) had kept my son. And some friends had graciously kept track of my high spirited and very independent teenage daughters.
I had been on my own with my kids and an amazing support system of friends and family for a long time. Even with a husband and later a significant other, I had found myself parenting alone and became quite independent. Kurt and I started dating in September of 2007 and he took some getting used to, as he is a "take care of business" kind of guy. On December 10 of 2009 he proved to be the one man who had the capacity to render me speechless when he proposed in the middle of one of my "I can do it my damn self" types of speeches while standing in what is now OUR kitchen. The wedding was scheduled for January 10, exactly 30 days later, and I had to go and get sick in the middle of that short planning and packing period and during the busiest week of the year at my job.
What a way to ring in the new year! The last thing I wanted to think about was spending the coming year fighting illness, which is what it looked like as that is how I brought in the year. However, as I look back to that moment of toasting in the new year and consider all that week had consisted of, I have to look now at what 2010 has held for me. I got a big dose that week of depending on others. More than that, I got a HUGE dose of depending on the man in the chair next to me, loving and supporting me, checking on my children, updating my family, and communicating with my caregivers. Accident? I think not. Ten short days later, I walked down the isle and committed my life knowing without a doubt that he was able and willing to be all that I needed him to be. What an amazing gift that week turned into!
As for how that ties into my year? Well, the year has been a whirlwind of learning for all 7 of us. Learning to live together, to depend on each other, respecting each other's boundaries. Kurt and I are figuring out how to parent together (and I happen to think we have done well, all things considered). The basement remodel was completed, I started back to school, Kurt completed his home inspector's course, and we are looking ahead to new projects in the coming year. Through it all, I have continued to realize what I realized as the new year began.....it's okay to lean on this man. God blessed me with a wonderful companion and I entered 2010 with new recognition of that and spent the year experiencing it. So, yes, I still believe there is some truth to it. Whatever you are doing when the new year rolls in is what you will spend your year doing, so make it good. Happy New Year!
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