2009 - A Year in Review

Last year was quite an adventure! It was good. It was bad. It was ugly. But we all made it through, and we're probably stronger because of the struggles we faced. I considered trying to classify each event as good, bad, or ugly but found that many of them crossed the barrier from one to the other. So, I'll just list the big events of the year....

• Bryan started out the year living with us
• I struggled to make the adjustment to having a third person in the house
• Ed's grandmother passed away in January, just about six weeks after his uncle had died
  
• My Granny passed away in February
• My ex-father-in-law passed away in March
• I saw my ex-husband for the first time in 8 or 9 years and we had a good visit following his father's funeral
• We had about seven other deaths either in the family or in friends' families in about a three month span of time
• I suffered a serious bout of depression in late March, which was exacerbated by the numerous deaths and our struggles with Bryan and his refusal to live by our rules
  
• Ed's mother decided to move to Texas and made several house-hunting trips down here from PA
• Bryan went back to PA to live with his mother right after school let out in June, with no plans to return to TX
• Shortly after Bryan left I had a really bad bout with my back, experiencing some of the worst pain I have ever felt
• In July I went to the annual LOSTies Gathering (held in TX for once!) and met some wonderful ladies that I have been chatting with online for four years! :)
• Bryan had a miserable time at his mother's house and decided to return to TX AND live by our rules
• Ed's mom made the move to TX and is enjoying it. It is wonderful to have her close by!
  
• I had another horrible flair up with my back in November and am still having problems. I see the surgeon on Monday, and while I'm a bit nervous I'm also looking forward to getting some answers.
  
• Bryan has been a different person this fall from the one he was last spring. He is doing okay in school, holding down a good job, and has enlisted in the Army. He should graduate in June and then report to Basic Training in July.
• My father was diagnosed with pre-Alzheimer's and is doing okay on a medication that supposedly slows the progression of the disease. While he's doing okay overall, it's sad to see him struggle with tasks that used to pose no challenge. I can certainly relate to some of the things he's going through, though, given the differences in my own abilities since my head injury.

I'm sure there were many other events that are noteworthy, but that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm a firm believer that God gives us the strength we need to help us through the hard times, but I also often wonder just how tough one can be. ;) Someday I will have a year with few struggles and tons of joy. I do continue to look for the silver linings in the clouds of life, and can usually find them. And, of course, I continue to laugh at myself and at the things that come my way. Laughing sure beats whining! And I am blessed to have a wonderfully understanding boss that has no problem with me taking the time off that I need for my health, a very supportive family, and the best husband in the world.