My annual project has begun. I've been combing through the pictures I took this year to pull out a few meaningful ones that we'll want to highlight in our yearly photobooks. So much happened this year, not enough happened this year, yet many times I'll look at a photo and think, "That was only this year?" The event may have happened in the Spring, but it's sunk so deep into my memory that it could have happened years ago.
Our year practically began in Arizona. It's been one year today when Kevin got the call that his mom had died unexpectedly, turning everything upside down. My friend who works with the elderly told me then that it would take one year for things to settle. Kevin was optimistic it would be faster than that. While some things did wrap up faster than anticipated (her house sold immediately), other things that we thought would be easy, still continue (paperwork). No matter what, even during the times when it was way off in the background, it changed the tenor of our year. I can look at any photo from 2010 and feel where our home was emotionally.
In many ways, 2010 has been such a great year for us, but it's also been one of our hardest. This holiday season is going to be about slowing down with the people I love the most. We're not going to hurry from event to event. We're going to skip some holiday parties. It's not you, it's us. We're going to sit on the couch, snuggle up, and watch old Christmas specials. Because we can. And for that, I'm thankful.
