I will not mourn the passing of this year. My 2011 will go down into my personal history as a series of many unfortunate events. It was my annus horribilis - “year of horrors.”
While I have encountered a few setbacks and disappointments that I thought would harden me, I hope I am now a stronger person as I welcome the new year.
I learned just how truly resilient I can be when needed. I have become more resourceful, and I have learned that my greatest treasures are a close circle of friends and family who have provided immense love and support.
Cheesy as that sounds, it is the simple truth.
It seemed that I had a lot more time than money this past year, but time proved much more valuable than money:
Time to enjoy with family in Britain, and making new friends with a wonderful Christian community in London.
Time to care for my nephew while my sister studied and my brother-in-law was deployed to Iraq, watching in amazement as he grows smarter, more articulate, and handsome!
Time to be Ninong (godfather) to my friends’ children, and feeling very special to see their faces light up when they see me.
Time to love the dogs I have fostered for the Gadsden County Humane Society, and time to help a friend rescue wonderful dogs have a second chance in life.
Time to reflect and catch up with old friends over a good meal or a cuppa.
Time to re-connect through “bonding moments” (as they say in the Philippines) with my family across many islands.
Time to honor the matriarch of my family, tending to my lola (grandmother) in her last week of life and later sharing in the celebration of her life.
Could it be possible that I take with me some good memories of this past year? Perhaps the cynicism that consumed me in 2011 did not quite overtake me.
Maybe I was too quick to judge what this year has been. Far into the future, I just might change my mind.
2011. Annus mirabilis?
