I was asked to revisit my thoughts on 2017. At first I balked. I really wanted to leave it all behind me. But as I left my friends’ place I became intrigued.

Yesterday when I talked to my friend, she said she liked my last post except for one little thing…or…maybe not so little a thing now that I think about it. {chuckle} It was how I described 2017 not working out like I had resolved at the beginning of the year. She pointed out how much I had grown in the last year. How far I’ve come and how far I’ve climbed. She didn’t want me to sell myself short. I valiantly argued my point but came up short. {shuffle, squirm, shuffle, sigh} Okay…She was right.

I expressed how tired I was with all the events and problems over the last year. It seemed like one thing got handled and another popped up demanding attention. “I’m tired” I whined. In her matter-of-fact way she said something along the lines of: You are tired, you’ve been climbing a mountain all year. I agreed, stating that I wanted to rest. She told me I was resting on the plateau getting ready for the next climb to the peak.

Light bulb moment! It’s okay to rest and relax, and I can also look at what was accomplished. I can look at what was successful and how I handled the failures.

As 2017 unfolded I struggled to handle the big issues as I continued to climb what felt like a whole range of mountains. I grew and adapted. I trusted God more. I did more than I thought I could ever handle. All in the span of one lone year called 2017. As I look back over the year I must praise God Almighty. I would not have made it through the year without God in the forms of the Father, Holy Spirit, and Son.

Here’s just a few of the successes of 2017: The successful surgeries for my husband and eldest prince. My health took a significant turn for the better when my A1C was in the normal range for the first time in three years. It was accomplished with nutrition. I kept up with the blog, finished the third draft of my novel, and won the NaNoWriMo challenge on my first try.

There’s more! There’s a blessing here! As I sit on my plateau preparing for the next climb up the mountain, I looked back on my year and realized…I lived it!

Now I haven’t delved into my past tragedies too much yet. I’m not sure when I will go into further detail. You can be sure with God, when the time is right, the words will flow. For right now I’ll just say when my sister died suddenly in 1982 my world was shattered. I spent two years learning to survive. Then I spent the next few decades identifying myself as a survivor. I got really good at surviving.

Along the way I learned to love and laugh again. I opened my heart and learned to trust more. But I was still just surviving. Dealing with the chronic pain over the last several years, I decided I wanted to live not just survive. I figured out what I want to do (writing, Grand Canyon, etc). I chose health and I chose my family. I sought for ways to live life not survive it. I asked God to help me learn to live again.

Here in the present. I’m looking over 2017 with all its joys, sorrows, faith, fears, play, work, goals, dreams, victories, and failures. Wow I found the blessing I’d been asking for:

I fully lived life this year.

I felt the emotion. I shouted with joy! I cried the tears. My grateful heart brought me to my knees. I laughed out loud! I ran and played! I am blessed with the fullness of life. I no longer survive life, I live it! Thank you Holy Spirit of God for this blessing.

May the Peace of God be with you today,

Milly

P.S: To my dear friend, I know you will be reading this at some point. 😀 Thank you for opening my mind to a better perspective.