I love the clean slate of a new year and the "taking stock" exercise of New Year's Eve. 2013 has offered the usual mixed bag of experiences, with perhaps a few more milestones.
Transitions
My friend and sister of my heart, Mary Jo Jasicki, lost her fight with metastatic kidney cancer on March 2. I had been dreading that day throughout February as Mary Jo's health declined, but felt relieved in the early days after her death, knowing that her suffering had ended. However, grief is very sneaky and I've often found myself feeling sad, especially on what would have been Mary Jo's 61st birthday on December 26. Her daughter Hillary gave me an ornament from the family Christmas tree, and the little bird is a poignant reminder of all the fun Mary Jo and I had during the seventeen years of our happy friendship. Oh, how I miss her!
I've now completed almost nine months of retirement. I'm beginning to "settle into it", able to appreciate the absence of task lists and the daily frustrations of life as a working person. I'm occasionally the same "driven" self, but I also savor the gift of time -- to notice the simple things of life and to embrace new experiences. I've learned to run a lawnmower and do some easy gardening. For the first time ever, I planted summer flowers and fall bulbs, and I catch myself thinking about unfamiliar matters like garden design.
Bob turned 75 in June and we celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary later that month. I've lived in beautiful Minnesota almost half my life! Happy years.
Loved my annual junket to southern Ontario in August, where I enjoyed in-person updates with my sister, Marilyn, as well as Stratford and McGill friends. In September, I flew to Ottawa to attend a reunion of friends from my hometown of Temiscaming, Quebec. I felt rejuvenated, amazed that the years melted away in the joy of reminiscing and catching up after nearly half a century. It was one of the year's highlights.
Seeing the USA in our Chevrolet
For the first time last March, we extended our usual week in Florida to fourteen days, and liked the extra week enough to plan on a month in 2014. This will be my first road trip to Florida, drawing on lessons learned during driving vacations of the last decade, most recently in September. Our visit to the Grand Canyon was nothing short of awesome, and I especially enjoyed our return to Colorado, where the mountains deliver not only spectacular views, but also serenity in the fragrant pine forests.
Pretty good health
Bob's knee replacement was very successful and I'm now approaching the four-year anniversary of my first knee replacement in 2011. I'm so happy now to have pain free sleep and knee joint stability that I've never had before. My multiple sclerosis (MS) also seems to be in remission, a hypothesis validated by the results of an MRI in mid-December. Both Bob and I feel pretty good, not just "for our age", but good in general.
Friends and Family
I'm grateful for the family and good friends who make life fun and interesting. I include my long distance friends as I give thanks for the gifts you share with such joy and generosity. I wish you all good things and many rich blessings in the New Year.
