2023

I type this as the last few minutes of 2022 come to a close. Rich is out of town and spending tonight with good friends from high school in New England. Tim is back in California and Lily is staying the night with her best friend. Just Tallinn and me tonight. I had a nice chat with Michelle this afternoon. I verified that I am not crazy…. entering a new year is harder than Thanksgiving or Christmas without Joe; going into a new year without him is just hard. I have mixed emotions about 2022. It was the hardest year of my life. There is a quote going around social media that says the following, “May the tears you cried in 2022 water the seed you planted for 2023.” Sounds like a wonderful platitude, doesn’t it? If it were true, we would have no issues with global warming because I would single handedly be growing a huge tropical rain forest from the tears I have shed. Although it was a hard year…I at least started it with my Joe. His physical life stopped in 2022 and therefore, I feel like I am being dragged into 2023 kicking and screaming because I want to stay in 2022…where he still is. Sounds kinda crazy, doesn’t it? I have been talking to several grieving moms and it seems to be a common thread. But onward I must go…. carrying my memories of Joe with me to continue to share with the world.

2023 will be a year of changes for our family. I was contemplating trying to start up another photo 52 challenge. The group I feel most comfortable being a part of for this challenge says you have to have a word to concentrate on and reflect in your photos. Whenever I think of 2023, the only word that comes to my mind is CHANGE. All four of us will be moving this year to different states. Tim will be changing jobs. Lily will graduate and go to college. Rich will retire (again). I will work on starting a photography business and writing more. I am going to allow myself to set boundaries and say goodbyes to those people in my life who are not allowing me grace in my life. I am going to just let go and concentrate more on the tight tribe who support me. I am going to spend more time doing things that fill my cup, that I enjoy. I am going back to the basics: faith, family, fun.

As the last minutes are ticking by, I wish you all the best in 2023. I hope it brings us all good health, more laughter than tears, and lessons learned which can employ to allow life to be a little easier. We all need that grace. Love to you all. Have a blessed 2023.