Cherries

Monday, January 6, 2020

A Recap of 2019


Happy New Year! I’m really excited about 2020 and I’m already off to a great start. I’ll share more about that momentarily, as I want to reflect on last year and the clear theme that made it’s way through my life in 2019 and that is Reunion.

I found significant relationships from my past come back around to be active in my life again. All three of the people I’m writing about are very special to me but none as much as Micheal J., the child I gave up for adoption 29 years ago. I’ve shared the story of how this came to be in earlier posts so you can see details there but Michael was the first of what would be 3 reunions last year. Our relationship has been growing and I’m so happy to say it’s been very easy. We’ve talked openly and continue to work toward a relationship that is more normal than weird, LOL!

The next reunion was with who was once one of my best friends, Elli. Back in 1998 I did something that hurt her immensely, so deeply that she severed our friendship. I was devastated and I wasn’t sure what I could do at the time to try to make it right. I certainly learned a number of lessons but the price was high, I missed this woman so many times through the years. It’s no surprise that we have mutual friends and occasionally I would see her in social media threads and this last September, I sent her a private message asking if we could be friends again. She was incredibly gracious and agreed to have a conversation with me. I may have had just enough tequila to give me the courage to send that original private message but I’m so glad I did. We made time to talk on the phone and it felt as if no time had passed at all. I am so sincerely grateful for her willingness to let the past be in the past and welcome a new beginning in the present.

Finally, our family recently reunited with our longtime friend Mike B. Mike wanted to reunite a year ago and I just wasn’t ready. It wasn’t until our anniversary in November that I was watching our wedding video and watched the footage of me speaking to why it was significant that Mike gave me away when I married Dave. It made me so sad and mad that I reached out to him via text. That lead to a conversation, and then a meal with our family, to Mike joining us at our annual Friends Thanksgiving. It was really nice having him there, but it will take some time to heal wounded hearts. There is finally a willingness (on my part) so that means there is hope for a new normal, it will never be the same but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be good.

I’ve said it many times through the years but never lived it quite to this degree, Don’t put a period where God has intended a comma. It’s hard to imagine sometimes when relationships end, or people hurt us that there could come a time that we could make amends and come back together. I’m grateful for being forgiven and I’m very willing to forgive, I think this is a wonderful way to say goodbye to 2019 and welcome 2020.

As far as the new year, I’m off to a great start. I’ve already co-produced an event, moderated a panel of speakers, sent in two applications to speak later this year, and wrote my first real estate offer for 2020 - and it's only January 6th!  I have big plans to really figure out what is going on with my health (is it menopause or something more?), I’m super busy with real estate and it’s possible we can be debt free before June 1st, and I plan on booking at least 3 paid speaking engagements this year. Oh, and I’m going to get my book written, come hell or high-water I’m making it happen. What’s on tap for you this year? Happy New Year!

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