On this, the eve of a new year, I want to reflect on the past year. Reflection is good. As Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” I want to rhyme the good stuff and go completely haiku on the not-so-good stuff. Here goes.

1. I miss my mom. After my mom died in November, a friend wrote to me that “now you are a member of a club you never wanted to be in.” So true. It’s a void in your heart, and the smallest little things make you remember the void. So if you see me crying as I drive down the road, you know why. Just honk.

2. I love my church. Lots of things this year have made me realize this. This past weekend, when ministers weren’t serving and the staff was on break, it really hit me. As I watched harried people come in the doors with kids in tow, only to watch their faces drop as they remembered that there were no kids’ programs that weekend, no tech ministers, no OPs ministers to set up the extra seating, no Cafe ministers to infuse caffeine into our veins, it hit me. Wow, this place really serves the families of North Baltimore. The coolest part is, after initial disappointment and murmurs of “ugh, I forgot,” people weren’t ugly about it. In fact, some people put out chairs in the part of the church outside of the sanctuary where seating is usually available, and they even set it up the way the OPs team does. Maybe they thought, “Hey, I could serve. This isn’t rocket science.” Now that’s just cool.

3. My family and friends are awesome. I have good kids and a great husband. I’ve got some great friends who have been there for me this year. That’s good fortune. That’s blessing. With many transitions and challenges this year (daily nursing home visits, new schools, college tuition, death, and my own self-employment and then employment in a brand new industry), we did alright. 2014 threw us curve balls and we still managed to get on base.

4. I’m ready for 2014. This past year had lots of ups and downs. I learned a lot and I failed a bit (but of course, that is redundant). There are still challenges out there but I’m looking forward to addressing them specifically.

I sound like a crazy goal-setting achiever!!!

I need a nap.