Well, here it is…the last day of 2016. I didn’t think this year would ever end. It’s been a real mixed bag as far as current events. We lost a number of celebrities we were most familiar with…most all too soon. We went through one of the ugliest political seasons in memory. Weather was unpredictable and natural disasters occurred with far greater frequency than in some years past. Worse than all that, we continue to lose our military and service workers as well as world citizens whose only crime is that they live and breathe in the “wrong” place and time. All this and more brings us down and it has been extremely difficult for many to get through.

Every year, I begin with a new word for the year. Something to hold onto…something to strive for and embrace in an effort to bring into my life and the world in general a positive influence…a higher vibe…in a effort to improve the planet and its inhabitants. This year’s word has been “thrive”. I decided at the end of last year, to nearly “survive” was not nearly good enough and I had to work toward thriving. And I feel I have accomplished that.

I began a new ritual at the beginning of the year. I read, and started praying, the Prayer of Jabez…daily. Within two weeks, I was interviewed and photographed for an article in the New York Times’ finance section on widowhood and retirement. I was subsequently invited to submit a proposal to speak at the International Conference on Positive Aging in Washington, DC. That invitation spurred me to make a drastic lifestyle change and I lost forty-one pounds and increased my activity level…getting outside to play and making new friends in the process. In March, I was interviewed and appeared in a story on Fox News about changing the face of people who live in their campers full time. I was also interviewed for a podcast episode of Girl Camper. In April, I was approached by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo, Hilen, and Fountain Literary Management Company and offered a contract to write a book. I was selected for the Positive Aging Conference and spoke in August. I was approached by a former screenwriter for Saturday Night Live and Dawson’s Creek to give an interview for her new podcast which will begin broadcasting in January. I was interviewed again for the Girl Camper podcast. In addition, I spoke to several groups over the course of the year as well as made some wonderful connections for future speaking engagements. I am being interviewed for a radio show in a couple of weeks. I am building an independent website (with the expert guidance of my brilliant son-in-law.)

So, for all intents and purposes, I would have to say unequivocally…this has been my year to thrive. While it certainly has been busy, I haven’t “busied” my way out of dealing with my grief. As time and hard work has eased the weight of my grief, I have begun to move past a lot of the most difficult parts and deal with the waves with a strength only swimming at the deep end could have given me. I have ventured out socially and reaped the rewards of new friendships. My loss no longer defines my life. It is a deep scar that I carry with me always yet it doesn’t occupy my every thought. It is an unfortunate part of my story yet it isn’t the WHOLE story.

As we bid adieu to the old and ring in the new, please accept my sincere thanks for being a part of my life this year. Your presence here on The Ranch has helped me more than you could ever know. And let me be the first to wish you a very Happy New Year! Here’s to a new year filled with good things. If we cannot find them…may we create them and color our lives with “rich and royal hues”! ❤️

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:18‬ ‭NIV