Good-bye and Hello (12 Favourite Posts of 2012)

There was a time (much) earlier in my life where New Year's Eve meant dressing up and heading out for a night on the town with friends.  There would be music and dancing and lots of noise as a group of us rang in the new year at midnight in a room crammed full of people.  These days the evening of December 31st looks quite different for me, by choice.  My older self now recognizes that my introverted personality prefers a quieter goodbye to the year that has just passed, and I very much enjoy our tradition of welcoming the start of a new journey around the sun with just our little family, at home. Tonight Matt and the boys and I plan to make homemade pizzas for dinner and then head to a neighbourhood hill for some night-time sledding. There will be dancing later, in the form of crazy Just Dance 4 matches in front of the Wii, and we'll toast the new year early, with warm mugs of cider and fiery sparklers lit outdoors. I may or may not actually see the stroke of midnight.

More and more as I get older, I find myself feeling reflective on the last day of each year.  I love the fact that I have a record of the experiences that meant the most to me in the past 365 days right here on Pocketfuls, to remind me of where I've been and how I've changed in that time.  It has been lovely for me over the past few days to read back through all of my thoughts and feelings in those moments, to remember each one with gratitude for how it has helped me to grow in wisdom and strength and understanding.  I want to share my favourite posts of the year here again with you today; I hope you will enjoy taking another look through what has been a meaningful and wonderful year for me in many ways.

Favourite Musings as a Mom:

Talking with strangers
Rainbow
Letting go

Favourite Funny Family Stories:

Soap, shampoo, and a SPIDER!
Rescued
Short-term memory

Favourite Food Creations:

Hearty oatmeal pancakes
Lemon strawberry shortcake
Chocolate cashew butter cups

Favourite Reflections on Life:

The swimmer
On turning 40
Struggling to breathe

And just for fun, let's make it a baker's dozen of favourite posts for 2012 with this last one:

The impossible dream


Today I send a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have come to share this space with me over the past year.   It has meant so much to me that you've thought my stories were worth reading, and I have loved reading your kind words, your insights, your suggestions, and your anecdotes in the comments you've left here and on Facebook and Twitter.  I hope you'll keep coming back in 2013; Pocketfuls wouldn't be the same without you.

I wish you all a very happy new year!  May you find joy, good health, inspiration, and adventure in 2013, and may you surround yourself with people who love and care for you well.   xo

New Year's Eve 2011