Three Hundred and Sixty Five Days

It's the new year now.

Last year was 'The Year of Change' if you think it's possible to pin a theme on a moving target.

In 2007, I stepped out of the workforce and into a writer's world. I wrote and schemed and reflected every day. I explored the online world as friendships flourished and I discovered writers and other intellectuals traveling their own journeys.

But back on Earth, some family and friends worried and wondered what had become of the practical girl with workaholic tendencies who seemed to have just stopped short. They assumed depression or discouragement was the cause of such idle time. Why wasn't I volunteering or something? Others knew what I knew, that time on a journey is always well spent because time is more of a noun than a verb.

The last year, I traveled to Utah and Colorado and New Mexico to discover unexplored parts of myself. I cast off self-imposed boundaries and flew free, finding courage and insight in places I had to see to believe.

I shrugged off disappointments and patiently waited for God to lead me through helping my mother make her way from life to afterlife. He gave me the amazing gift of being able to throw my whole heart into my mother without her throwing it back. It brought a deeper, abiding love for my Aunt and Uncle, whom I admire and adore.

It brought a friendship with Texas Tim and his spirituality that deepened my faith. It brought Susan's friendship to an entirely new level, one that has enriched my life and challenged me. It brought me the knowledge that Colette's depth of love and friendship is more profound than I could have ever imagined.

It smoothed the transition from daughter to woman with a clearer perspective and balance. And all of these things together opened my whole heart so Randy could become the keeper of my dreams.

There is no doubt 2008 will be the joyous next chapter in the journey of three hundred and sixty five days that changed the course of my life.