Tis the day for reflection and refocusing, right?! Twist my arm – here I go!
2011 had good and bad rolled all into one. Not unlike most years, but maybe this one pushed the extremes of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ just a bit! Ritchie and I took on the challenge of doing P90X last spring — changed eating habits, worked out daily, got in great shape — something I’ve never done in my life and always wanted to try was finally accomplished. That was good. We have all 3 kids in school this year and they are doing great and loving it. That is good. We have friends who are like family to us and have stood by us and loved us in ways we couldn’t have imagined. That is very good. I have grown so much spiritually and am becoming more and more the person I am meant to be. That is great.
And…we’ve had our share of bad. Ritchie’s dad has been sick and had a roller coaster year of feeling better/feeling worse and trying to figure out just what is going on and what will help. We’ve prayed friends through cancer treatments. We missed out on a special trip seeing my dad & step mom. Mom got a stage 4 cancer diagnosis which has led us all to more doctor visits, tests & hospital stays than in all of our years put together. We’ve been stressed, we’ve cried, and we’ve hurt.
But in my way of math, Good + Bad = Blessed.
That is because recognizing your blessings has nothing to do with circumstances. Several of those ‘good’ things from above (and many more that I failed to list) were direct results of having the ‘bad’ in our worlds. One wouldn’t have existed without the other. Its a matter of perspective and choice and though I’m not foolish enough to tell you that I love the bad, I am trusting enough to know that it came for a reason.
So looking ahead to 2012 I can already see the same mix coming in to play. One of our kitty sisters is having to leave our home this week. That isn’t going to be fun. Sicknesses and treatments are still ongoing realities in our world with outcomes unknown. Ritchie’s company has undergone a buyout and we have NO idea what that will fully mean for us in the coming year. This morning we are weighing in (literally) and realizing that much of our fitness gain from 2011 has been replaced by a different type of gain. The list goes on and on….
…but so will the blessings. So will the good. I am excited to see where it weaves itself in and if I will be in tune enough to see it. I pray that I am.
So I don’t have resolutions per say but ideas for this year and some itches I need to scratch. I want to create more — sewing, crafting, something. Last year that slipped away a bit and I miss it. I want to take more pictures. I would love a girls trip – or a road trip – or something. I want to be a better wife – really bad. I feel like I drop the ball there alot. I want to continue dates with each of my kids to get that quality time in. I want to dig deeper into this little calling I think I have and figure out how to get closer to fulfilling it.
Happy 2012 everyone!!! May it be BLESSED for each and every one of you!!!
A Handful of Deffenbaugh's 
Amy, I so enjoyed reading this. You have a way of putting things into perspective that I consider a blessing. So don’t forget to count that among your many blessings as well! Continue doing what you are doing. I have a great deal of respect for you and the direction you haven taken in life. Have a very, very blessed 2012. I continue to say prayers for your mom. I know you will be there for her in every way you possibly can…and so will He. Love you!