Happy New Year! And I Mean That

Well hello 2011!  My, you're looking swell.  Did you do something with your hair?  Lose some weight?  Well whatever it is, it's really working for you.  Perhaps it's just me--you see, I'm so happy to see the back of 2010 that you just look wonderful to me.

The last year has been pretty shitty, not just for me but for many close to me.  We've suffered losses, faced challenges.  But one thing that keeps me going is finding balance in all this:  friends have drifted a way, but new ones have taken their place; loved ones have passed away, but friends have been blessed with a new life and I share in their joy.  It's a timeless and endless cycle--just when we think we've taken all we can, new hope appears and sustains us.

This year has been surprisingly fruitful for me in some unexpected ways--I have seen success and growth in my job; my talent in photography has allowed me to share some treasured images with friends and family; my new companion, Jacques, has been a joy and a challenge but I wouldn't have it any other way; friendships and family ties have been deepened and strengthened.  Most of all, I've grown up a lot--I have met the challenges of the last couple of years head-on and I made it through a better friend, sister, daughter and partner.

I want to thank all of you for the tremendous support you have provided me over the last year.  Your words of encouragement and your unwavering belief in me have been the light in the darkness--I don't know if I could have done it without you.  My New Year's resolution to you is to not let you down--your faith has not been misplaced.  I've been battered and bruised but this is another year and another opportunity to make my own happiness.

"Often daunted, never defeated."
                    -- Vicky Gabereau, Canadian radio and television personality