Reflections and Predictions…
AS I think back in 2018, as we all do at the end of the year, I am flooded with emotions. There is so much that happened, it was definitely one of the biggest and most significant years of my life so far. I have learned so very much about family, friends, loss, love and myself. It was a profound year. Yes, there were challenges that I have never faced before, there were also beautiful experiences that I am forever grateful for.
When 2018 started if you would have told me We would be living in and traveling Europe I would have said “Ha! wouldn’t that be a dream!’ If you would have told me I was going to have to say goodbye to my Mom I would have replied “No way will that happen, not to us.” That’s the thing though, we have no way of predicting what will happen in a year. All we can do is put it out to the universe and pray about it to see what unfolds as the year rolls on.
Here I am though. It’s 2019 and I did have to say goodbye to my mom, By far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I also had to say goodbye to my dear friend Naomi. Two people who shaped so much about who I am. I have experienced loss in the past but nothing like this year. I am struggling with moving on from these losses. I know I have to, I know they would want me to. So I am trying, while also holding on to every memory I have with them.
If you have been following the blog you know that We did, in fact, move to Europe. We have been to fairs in Germany, We have climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, had dinner with Mickey at Disneyland Paris, Walked across the London Tower Bridge and saw London from above in the London Eye, fell in love with Liverpool. We hiked to the peak of a mountain in Poland. We visited Little Mermaid and discovered the magic of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. We also experienced the wonder of KerstMarkts (Christmas markets) in Maastricht.
Through all of this, I have found a strength in myself I did not know I had. I have grown in ways that I didn’t know were possible. I have become so much closer to my friends and family. We have created friendships that will last a lifetime. I have a new faith in kindness and people. These are just a few positive effects this past year had on me.
That’s the thing, it’s up to us to decide how we look at things that happen in our life. Yes, there are going to be times that we feel like we can not go on. There will be events happening in our life that cause us to doubt everything we know and hold dear, things can seem so dark that we don’t know how to pick ourselves up. There are also lessons in all of these things, and if you allow yourself to grow from these there will be so many positive things that you see and experience.
So while I can not predict the New Year, I can reflect on the last, I can learn, grow and allow myself to heal. I am hopeful and excited about where 2019 will take me and my family. I am excited about getting to travel with friends and show them the magic of Europe. Thank you all so much for following and sharing in our adventures. I end 2018 humble, grateful and so full of life and love.
Stay Tuned for more adventures of Rob, Z and I…
All things, even the deepest sorrow or the most profound happiness are all temporary. Hope is fuel for the soul, without hope, forward motion ceases.”
― Landon Parham, First Night of Summer
