New Year's Eve 2022
I feel like I start this New Year's Eve post the same every year..."This year has had its ups and its downs." I keep thinking that's special and unique and yet here we are again with another year that "had its ups and its downs." I'm guessing your family had one of those years too?
Last New Year we rang in 2022 with our friends, the Oakley's. It was so special after several years of social distancing, and "socializing sparingly" to be together again. Unfortunately, we didn't successfully recreate the video of them singing "Sweet Caroline" at the top of their lungs like they did on New Years Eve 2017, but we did have a good time. This year will look different...there's girlfriends and even a wife added to the mix, but it's always good to be together.
As a family we didn't take any large vacations this year. We did, however, take advantage of some extra time to see and experience the beauty of our own state.
This included...
A trip down to Bisbee, which was totally our thing, with unusual shops, non-chain restaurants, odd people who loved to talk to strangers, and a sweet little Episcopal church that welcomed in some curious travelers.
From Bisbee we also visited Kartchner Caverns, which both of our boys have named one of the "coolest places we have ever been." Even the teenager who has to pretend he doesn't think anything is cool right now, especially if it is part of a family road trip. It's a rule.
Another weekend we did a short day trip to Tortilla Flats because it's what one does when they live in East Mesa and want to get "just a little bit" away for the day. It was interesting.
Over spring break we made our usual trip to Dewey and Prescott, where it snowed! The funny part of this is that it has snowed on our SPRING BREAK trip multiple years! Maybe we should try Florida this year just to see if it holds true!
We slipped in a quick over-night at a Phoenix resort, a luxury we used to indulge in more frequently, especially during the local's secret-summer rates. But it just hasn't worked out as frequently and wasn't nearly as exciting during COVID restrictions. However, the pools at Point Tapatio Cliffs were really fun and and we enjoyed a much needed "escape".
Over October break we spent about a week in Tucson, staying both in the old town area, as well as up on Mt. Lemmon. We loved the fantastic food, the views, and a little time with my nephew and his wife. The boys also attended a Jack White concert while we were down there, which was probably their highlight. I may have also had as much fun having a whole evening to read and relax. But, my personal favorite part was probably the beauty of Sabino Canyon, which far exceeded my expectations.
Daniel got to go to youth camp and also to San Diego with his church friends.
There was also camp meeting, where I was running the nursery/preschool program. I'm not sure which part of the roller coaster that was or if I'm even ready to talk about it yet. It was all fun and games until everyone got COVID and our friend Tom ended up in the hospital (for completely different reasons.)
A lot of this year had to do with family. In April my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. By May we knew this would be the year we lost Daddy. By October he was gone. He truly was the man, the myth, the legend. There will never be anyone like him, and loosing him was hard. But the hardest part was May. I didn't want him to go in the middle of the night in the hospital or rehab center. I didn't want a surprise phone call from a nurse I'd never met. So, in a way, those last few days, holding his hand, listening to his changing breathing, and tucking his blankets around him were not the hard part. And the extra time spent with my family during this year was a blessing.
Because we put life on a little bit of pause during that waiting period between May and October, we created rhythms and priorities that helped us soak up a lot of time with family.
We had coffee Fridays each week, "Cousins Days" that included grocery shopping at the Asian market or swimming at my sister's, gym time with my brother, tea parties and pedicures with "the girls" and even an "after dark" trip to the mortuary to change out grandma's flowers, which reminded me of the scary version of the Christmas Carol.
And the Williams' family had significant reminders of the importance of family this year as well. Dan's sister, Sarah and her husband Alex gave us our first nephew on the Williams' side. Baby Dylan is REMARKABLY cute and loves everyone. The week after my dad's funeral we found out that Dan's dad has cancer, and has now started treatments. We wish life gave everyone little "breathers" between some of these highly emotionally taxing events but it doesn't work that way. We are so thankful to live close and to be banking those good times whereever we get them, as well as to have the opportunity to be helpful when possible too.
The other theme of this year probably has to do with church. I've already written plenty about the roller coaster of complicated emotions that has gone into what that looks like for us this year. The long and short of it is...we left the congregation we have been worshiping and serving with for 30 years to join a pretty new church plant with friends who we also have known and loved for awhile as well. The decision was one of the hardest we've had to make. I'm not a crier...I could count on my fingers how many times I've had wet eyes, even in this difficult year. But locking up my office for the last time was definitely one of them.
And, grief was compounded when I found out that Pastor David, who had hired me, invested in me, believed in me, and encouraged me, had passed away suddenly of a heart attack in November. We are so thankful that he was able to go home to the mid-west and spend those last months with his family near. But it doesn't feel like enough and it still doesn't feel right.
Needless to say, this transition, although right, was not easy. Doing "right" things rarely is. But in the end, we have this beautiful "extended family" that still loves and supports us...still sends Christmas cards and helps us raise our kids.
And we have this new immediate family we love and care for too. And together we're praying for and caring for our part of Mesa really well. And we're creating new rhythms, and friendships. Is it a little crazy sometimes? Yes. We're figuring out what it looks like to be a truly inclusive, intergenerational family of faith in a very different setting than any of us grew up in. But, I'm excited to see where it's going.
I think this year wasn't just about what we could take pictures of or click off a bucket list. I think a lot of it had to do with inner growth. I can't speak for the details of what that looked like for Dan, Daniel, and Moses, although there's evidence of it. But, I can speak for myself in saying I've learned a lot about who I am and how to be the healthiest version of that. I am healing from a lot of the woundedness I experienced a few years ago when the world changed.
I'm learning:
*Something doesn't have to last forever to have been significant or a success. Some things are supposed to just be for a season.
*No matter how much I want to, I can not really control the thoughts and actions of others. I can control what I put out there, and how I react to what they put out there. Life is easier when I remember what is and isn't my responsibility.
*Our love isn't measured in tears. We can experience strong emotions with dry eyes. And that's ok. It does not make us a psychopath.
*Getting sick, needing more sleep, and accomplishing less than I did in my 20's is not a sign of weakness...it is human...and recognizing these things is actually a strength. OK...I'm still working on this one. Like I'm really bad at matching my body, heart and mind here...but it's a process.
I don't have it all together but I have tools I didn't have ten years ago, or even a year ago for that matter, and I'm so thankful that I can remember that.
We have a few things we're hoping for in 2023. I think 2020 has left a lot of us afraid to plan...we realize now nothing is certain. But here are some of the things we are looking forward to:
*Moses got the part he tried out for in the school play. Our 2023 calendar is already FILLED with practices and performances for this guy.
*Daniel is studying for his driver's permit. Can. You. Believe. It?
*Both Daniel and I have a gym membership we've started using, and Daniel will be starting PT soon for the "old man" back pain he's been toughing it through for too long. We're hoping this makes a lot of things much more enjoyable for him soon.
*Dan bought me a Botanical Garden's membership this year. I'm looking forward to more day dates with him, as well as quiet mornings to myself and a cool place to go walking with friends.
*I'm scheduled to preach 10X this year for The Table! I am excited for this opportunity to grow in this area, and learn from this great team.
*Daniel is looking forward to attending Nazarene Youth Conference in Tapa Bay this summer, and Dan will be taking Moses on his 13th birthday trip, wherever he chooses (within reason).
I'm both scared and excited to start substitute teaching, and hopefully even finish my classes for ordination in the next year if all goes right. However, I'm also adding these back into hours spent in ministry, Daniel's PT, Moses' play practices...and all the things that go along with keeping life running for our family. But I'm confident that however it goes, next year I'll be writing a post that starts with "This year has had its ups and its downs" and I know that's just how life is!
Comments
Post a Comment