See you in 2010. Have a blessed holiday season, don’t worry about the carb intake (unless you’re diabetic!), enjoy your time with family and friends and get ready for a wonderful new year. Oh, stop by and tell me what Santa brings you… I’m curious like that!
There’s not much to say on one’s birthday without sounding self-important. But I’m grateful for every single year of my life, even the hard ones. I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing people here and there and everywhere. As I grow old, I want to grow wise as well. And I thank God for all the blessings He’s showered me with.
I realized this is actually the first Thanksgiving I’m celebrating in the U.S. The previous years have been marked by sickness (when John got food poisoning) and convalescence (when John underwent his first ear surgery). Traveling then wasn’t an option, and without any family in KC we were pretty much without turkey and pumpkin pie.
But this year… this year will be awesome! Moving to Chicago has brought us closer to family and we’re invited to my mother in law’s in-laws’ Thanksgiving dinner in Wisconsin. From what I’ve heard, it’s a big occasion and about the only holiday they actually care about. It will be a new experience for me and I’m excited even if I think turkey is a tasteful as a piece of napkin (I have yet to try a piece of turkey that I don’t have to bathe in any kind of sauce in order to enjoy). Now, the pumpkin pie… that’s what I’m talking about!
The holiday is marked by some sad circumstances because a member of the family is fighting against breast cancer. But instead of letting it ruin the day, I think this will be a great opportunity to gather around the table and give thanks for everything we have and say a prayer for good things to come. I for one consider myself blessed because of my wonderful family and friends (here and abroad) and the beautiful life God has granted me with.
And given that I’ll be in Wisconsin, I hope I can finally get me some good, squeaky, fresh cheese curds. Then I’ll be even more thankful. ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
I was helping my niece getting ready for school this morning, and she mentioned she was scared because she had a spelling test. Based on what I’ve seen, she’s a very smart 9 year-old who’s gotten straight A’s during the last month. I didn’t take her fear lightly, though; I know how it feels. I told her it’s OK to be a little nervous before a test, but that I was sure she was going to do fine… more than fine. Then I said something to her and now I’m wondering if it’s the right thing to say to a kid: I said it’s OK to fail sometimes, that life is not perfect all the time, and that failing just means we’re human.
I don’t have children, but I have nephews and nieces, and in my heart I feel we all should strive to encourage our children to succeed in life, but we have also prepare them for failure because it happens whether we’re good or not at something. I grew up being so afraid of failure I didn’t try many things or I simply grew tired of them when I didn’t excel. Then in adulthood, I discovered that my most rewarding experiences actually originated from failures where I learned and acquired tools to make it better the next time.
Giving up and just going with the flow is definitely not a good approach to life, but children need to be taught that sometimes we don’t get all A’s, or we don’t win all the football games. It’s life, it’s learning. And we are still as good as when we succeed. I learned it from my parents who wanted me to do the best I could, but to never doubt myself when it didn’t go well. And for that, I thank them.
I turned in my resignation yesterday. My husband did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Farewell parties have been held, apartment lease is over, the cats are trained to go in a pet carrier. Yes, we are leaving beautiful Kansas City, and while it’s sad to say goodbye to good friends, we’re very excited because of new opportunities in Chicago where John has a new job.
For the first time in my life, I really feel like I’m leaving my home-away-from-home behind. It is a bittersweet depart; we go with boxes full of dreams to start a new life in a magnificent city, a place we both love, a place we’re familiar with, a place we have always wanted to go. John’s family is there, so that’s a big plus and probably the main reason why he accepted the offer.
These last 3 years of my life are amongst the best. Not only because I started rebuilding my life next to a wonderful man in a wonderful place, but also because of all the people I’ve met. Each one of you has enriched my life in a very special way. We’ve had our ups and downs in the land of Dorothy because that is human nature, but Kansas City will remain one of my favorite places in the world and I’m sure we’ll be back.
I can’t do the list thing like my husband did; I don’t want to experience the wrath of Meesha (hey! you’re the only one named here!) but I want to thank you all for the good times, the support, the laughs, the beers, the monthly blogger meet-ups, the tweet-ups, the opportunities to do volunteering, the good food, the company, the impromptu lunches, the Battlestar Galactica games, the many bottles of wine you’ve provided, the fun stories, the drama, the intrigue.
But most of all, I want to thank you for opening the doors of your house and your heart to us. For me, you are family, you will always be. I hope to see you in Chitown, so we can continue having fun and John and I can feed you real Colombian feed cooked by the masters.
God bless you all, I will miss you… like the deserts miss the rain. :-)
