The end of the year is here, and for our family, that means a little time with family for Christmas.  Since the husband’s deployed, I’m going to count myself lucky enough that we at least have some extended family close enough to visit for the holidays.

The end of the year always gets me thinking a little about the year behind me.  This was a bit of a bumpy year for our family, but all told–it really could have been SO MUCH WORSE.  I really don’t consider myself an eternal optimist (I call myself an “optimistic pessimist”), but whenever I’m low, I try my hardest to look around for the good things, no matter how small, and if you really take the time to look, they’re all around you.  The fact that you’re even breathing is just ONE small gift.  It helps to stop and get some perspective on that now and then.

Myla and I have done so many projects and drawings and activities this past year, it wonderful to stop & look at it all over.  Sometimes, during my day, I actually stop and look around, and take a minute to enjoy the things around me–paintings we’ve done, sculptures done by friends, artwork from others,  cards, books, dolls, toys, and little cutout scraps of paper from Myla’s crafts.  I’m grateful for all of it.

This next year, I plan to continue creating.  Maybe doing more shows (I’ve got my eye on you, Designer Con!).  Maybe doing more custom pieces.  Who know what the next year will bring?!

I’ve been flipping through pictures of older portraits I’ve done, and I’m inspired again by some past work–especially in these machine-stitched portraits I used to do.  Maybe I’ll do more of those, and offer customs….

In any case, I know it sounds goofy, but I truly am grateful for everything.  In the darkest times, in the happiest times, I’m grateful for everything I have, everyone I know, everything I can do. I’m glad for the very good friends I have, even if they’re always far away on the map.  I’m glad for the support of my husband, even from thousands of miles away.  And I’m glad for YOU!  For the fact that you’re even reading this!

I don’t like to set resolutions at the new year (to me, resolutions are for whenever you want to make them)…but I’m looking at a goal this next year of trying to figure out how to maybe have these doodles  or sculptures or whatever it is that we do, do some good in the world.    I’m not quite sure how.  I’m still working on that.  There are still a lot of changes to make, and  I’m ready to see what sorts of transformations this new year will make.

Being a military family, we’re exposed to so much variety–we have such diversity in our lives that we can celebrate so many types of people around us, no matter what their gender, their politics, their lifestyle, because when you break it down, we’re all just people.  (Remember that guy in Muppets Take Manhattan?  He said,”peoples is peoples.”)

The important thing is that we CAN be different.  We CAN show small kindnesses to one another, despite our differences.  I want to make sure we share that, and spread it around a little.  You might not be able to change the world all at once, but if you can do some good for someone, that kindness is absolutely contagious.

So I’ll leave you with a little drawing Myla did of our family, in a card she sent to her dad.  Here’s wishing you all great things for the new year!!!