It's hard to believe this year is about to end. As I reflect back on this year, I have a lot of mixed emotions. As a family, we have had some hardships, mainly financially, but somehow we have managed to pull through one way or another. I don't know how we do it but anytime we get off course, there is always something or someone who is put right in our path to lead us back. I am a true believer that things happen for a reason and these hardships are to prepare us for what is about to come. During these times I have to keep reminding myself that we go through these things in life to get to where we are meant to be. I have come to realize this past year that if my life was easy, I would not be who I am today. I like who I am becoming and will continue to keep focused on what I have been set out to do.
With as many hardships we have had as a family, I have to proudly say that there has been MANY positive changes! I'll start with my daughter Andria. I cannot express how truly proud I am of her. For the last 2 years, she has struggled with anxiety issues and OCD. During the summer, she had an opportunity to go on a road trip with Dave. Every summer, she takes a trip to see her grandmother up north. This year, we let her decide and she chose to go on the road with Dave and visit her grandmother when she got back. If you knew Andria, you would know this is a HUGE step for her. People who suffer from OCD usually have a hard time with "change", so for Andria, this was a GREAT step in controlling her emotions and thoughts. When she came back, it was like she was a different kid. She became independant, happy, relaxed....I had to ask my husband what he did with Andria and who was this girl he picked up! LOL I am happy to say that it didn't just end there. She is doing very well in school (honor roll both quarters so far this year), she made a couple of new friends, and overall I can see a difference in her confidence. I never thought I would actually say this, but I am happy to see a normal, hormonal 13 year old. Don't get me wrong, she has some moments, but they are typical 13 yr old issues that I am more than happy to deal with then a little girl who was so lost, scared, highly dependant, and suffered through the worst anxiety attacks you can ever imagine. I FINALLY got my Andi back :)
Another great moment this year was the day I went back to school. I cannot express how good I feel to be able to go to class everyday, interact with other adults, and actually ENJOY what I am learning everyday. It is very overwhelming at times, but it's a "good" type of overwhelming. The feeling is like when you need to clean out a cluttered, stuff piled up to the ceiling basement and that first look takes you back wondering "how the heck am I gonna do this and where do I start?" It's intimidating and overwhelming at first, but once you start and get into a routine, and start decluttering, you start to feel like you are getting something accomplished. The more you declutter, the better you feel and know that once it gets all done, you KNOW how good it's gonna feel. You know it's gonna take some time, and it's not going to happen overnight, but little by little, you get more done and you can picture what it will be like when you are finished. This is what keeps me going. I can actually SEE what lies ahead for me and it makes me that much more determined to keep going. I haven't felt like this in a very long time. It's good to have that feeling back.
I am truly blessed and I hope everyone has a GREAT 2009! I'll see you next year ;)
With as many hardships we have had as a family, I have to proudly say that there has been MANY positive changes! I'll start with my daughter Andria. I cannot express how truly proud I am of her. For the last 2 years, she has struggled with anxiety issues and OCD. During the summer, she had an opportunity to go on a road trip with Dave. Every summer, she takes a trip to see her grandmother up north. This year, we let her decide and she chose to go on the road with Dave and visit her grandmother when she got back. If you knew Andria, you would know this is a HUGE step for her. People who suffer from OCD usually have a hard time with "change", so for Andria, this was a GREAT step in controlling her emotions and thoughts. When she came back, it was like she was a different kid. She became independant, happy, relaxed....I had to ask my husband what he did with Andria and who was this girl he picked up! LOL I am happy to say that it didn't just end there. She is doing very well in school (honor roll both quarters so far this year), she made a couple of new friends, and overall I can see a difference in her confidence. I never thought I would actually say this, but I am happy to see a normal, hormonal 13 year old. Don't get me wrong, she has some moments, but they are typical 13 yr old issues that I am more than happy to deal with then a little girl who was so lost, scared, highly dependant, and suffered through the worst anxiety attacks you can ever imagine. I FINALLY got my Andi back :)
Another great moment this year was the day I went back to school. I cannot express how good I feel to be able to go to class everyday, interact with other adults, and actually ENJOY what I am learning everyday. It is very overwhelming at times, but it's a "good" type of overwhelming. The feeling is like when you need to clean out a cluttered, stuff piled up to the ceiling basement and that first look takes you back wondering "how the heck am I gonna do this and where do I start?" It's intimidating and overwhelming at first, but once you start and get into a routine, and start decluttering, you start to feel like you are getting something accomplished. The more you declutter, the better you feel and know that once it gets all done, you KNOW how good it's gonna feel. You know it's gonna take some time, and it's not going to happen overnight, but little by little, you get more done and you can picture what it will be like when you are finished. This is what keeps me going. I can actually SEE what lies ahead for me and it makes me that much more determined to keep going. I haven't felt like this in a very long time. It's good to have that feeling back.
I am truly blessed and I hope everyone has a GREAT 2009! I'll see you next year ;)
