We Did. And It Did.

December 31 ~ a time for reflection. Last year at this time I was absolutely a fountain of excitement upon hearing my younger son and his girlfriend of forever had decided to make it official. The marriage would take place in 2007. Then the mister and I got a little more serious about leaving our home of 10 years and moving to a new space. With that decision the excitement went off the charts.

Hence the mantra for 2007 became “Leap and the net will appear.”

We did and it did.

What a great year. I mean a really great year. As we were to learn, it was one event after another after another. The whole house scenario – putting a contract on one house and it falling thru; selling our home in 11 days; finally settling on and in our dream home (things, indeed, happen for a reason) – took up much of the first half of the year. Along the way all of our children – the Denver branch and the San Francisco/Berkeley branch – moved to bigger and better homes as well. The wedding and the family fun which ensued was definitely the highlight of the year. It was… magic. Being able to share that and our new home with my 89 year old Mom in from Iowa was a true blessing. A multitude of friends and family followed to christen the house properly (let’s just say the bar was open often…).

From out of nowhere a tiny whisper of self confidence began to enter my life. Wow. Where did that come from? I stretched my boundaries and my eye and my imagination a tad with my photography. I was published in places I never would have guessed I’d be published. I took some chances. I actually did some spontaneous self-promotion and much to my surprise, was accepted and invited in with enthusiasm! I found myself in new spaces – retail and exhibition. I truly never knew I had it in me.

I made friends. Tons of them ~ both in cyberspace and in the flesh. For someone who has been a lone wolf almost her entire life, this was life-changing. It’s been so much fun, but I’m learning I need to set limits. I need to find a balance between the solitude that I need – for my craft and my soul – and being the social butterfly.

So now as 2007 draws to a close, I find myself with so much to be grateful for, very few regrets and for the first time in a long time ~ a genuine excitement and anticipation for all the doors I see that are waiting to be opened. It’s all there waiting for me; I just have to take those first few steps. My life is a whirlwind of choices to be made, directions to be sought, ideas to pursue. The sky is the limit. No. Beyond the sky.

I feel like Dorothy. I think I’ve had a Good Witch Glinda whispering in my ear this year. She has been continually and consistently softly speaking, “You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power...”

All I have to do now is click my heels.