Dear Reader:

For some reason yesterday morning… I woke up early and was wide awake… I checked on my blog post ( just popped up) and then Kaitlyn’s post popped up a few minutes later.

Kaitlyn is a gifted writer… and after reading her entry I knew I wanted to share her unique but also universal “take” on reflecting back on a year that proved more challenging than most before it. Yet Kaitlyn was able to see and understand the lessons learned from the year that was.

…And what better time to reflect than when another birthday is approaching? In the title photo from last year, her good friend and office manager, Holly, had taken her picture just as she was about to make a wish. But now she can’t remember the wish and wonders what it was that she wanted then, what mattered then as compared to now. Gone in the wisp of time.

Last year was a tough year for Kaitlyn and Tommy… Holly, unexpectedly, moved to Colorado, their fifth anniversary to Dingle, Ireland…was tainted by both of them coming down with the coronavirus, Khaleesi ( one of their ” fluffy babies” ( Kaitlyn’s little ” girl”) passed, they had to move back in with Butch and Susan, ( Kaitlyn’s parents for weeks) while their home was taken apart to fix an extremely expensive plumbing problem. ***I will just stop there… you get the picture.

And now… here are Kaitlyn’s reflections in her own words.

” When I was wishing, I wonder if I realized how lucky I was for what I already had? … friends and ” fluffy babies” by my side. All within reach. So lucky. I wonder if I would have wished differently if I knew how quickly things could change and be gone. Perhaps I would have relished the present more acutely.”

” But I can do that now. And perhaps my gift this year will be to realize how much of a present the present truly is. “

” And while things can certainly be lost, things can also grow. I cleaned out all the gardens in March of 2021. Adding more to the front and side garden. I almost didn’t believe it and assumed it couldn’t be true. But just as easily and quickly as things can be lost, new things can be found. New life grows.”

” A friend reminded me of something I told her about grief. It leaves little holes in us when someone we love goes away, but the space it leaves behind makes room for something new. And while seams and lines will show where the new has been worn in, it’s those scars that will remind us to tell the story of what we love.”

So until tomorrow… life can be filled with every adjective known to man, good or bad, and it would still be amazingly beautiful! It’s worth the complete ride!

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh