Reflections

I love this time of year....the bit between Christmas and New Year......because it allows me a few days to sleep in late, slow down a bit, and do some much needed reflection.

This year has been quite a mixed bag for me.......some really big highs, but some really big lows. It's been another hectic year, and very tiring for that, particularly the second half of the year. I don't know if it was for this reason that I came up with the name 'Appreciating Life' for my blog......perhaps I realised I needed to work harder to, or that I was hoping TUT would help me to. And it has made me start looking at the world through 'TUT' eyes - finding beauty almost everywhere - reminding me that there is so much to appreciate (and less time should be spent grumbling about 'what isn't').

My mum's been in hospital for most of the second half of this year, including Christmas, and I thought she would have to spend her birthday (tomorrow) there as well. Miraculously, they sent her home yesterday, and even though she isn't 'better', at least she is with her friends (she stays in a residential home), and closer to me - just a much nicer environment to celebrate reaching 78 years.

I've spent the last few months borrowing her old photos in order to scan them for a digital frame (her birthday present), and I finished this yesterday. In looking at all the old memories, I realised just how lucky I am.....I've never thought of my childhood as being a particularly happy one, but, at the end of this excercise, I realise how many of my good memories I had sacrificed for the bad. And there is a lot to be said for being grateful for that which you do have, instead of focusing on what you don't.

So, today, I can honestly say that I feel really grateful and happy that I am 'me'.