Welcome to my blog! I’m so glad you are here, and I welcome you to take this journey with me. Saying goodbye to 2021 was surprisingly more emotional than I could have imagined. 2021 was a year of tremendous loss as well as a year of great celebration.
The Celebration
Celebrating my daughter’s (the baby of the family) graduation from high school was amazing! The fact that my husband and I raised two pretty awesome kids and prayerfully got them through high school without any significant issues was definitely worth celebrating. I guess under normal non-worldwide pandemic circumstances; we would be entering our empty nester phase. However, this pandemic has adjusted things a bit in our household. Our oldest is in law school, virtually at home with us. Our youngest has decided to forgo her path to playing D1 volleyball (where she graciously turned down over eight D1 offers) to pursue her new passion, tennis. Tennis training and building her business while continuing to build her brand as a content creator and influencer while finishing her college studies online keeps her busy. Both of my young adult children are home, but both are very independent and doing their own thing. that said, I have a nest that’s empty most times -but not really. I would likely state, in relationship terms, that “It’s complicated.” My complicated empty but not empty nest. Yup, that’s it.
The Loss
Now for the loss of 2021. Since the loss of my mother in March 2021, I honestly don’t think I sat still enough to really grieve the loss I suffered. That is, until saying goodbye to 2021. Saying goodbye to 2021 hurt me severely, which surprised me. It brought on a wave of emotions as, for the first time, I was saying goodbye to the year in which my sweet mama went home to be with the Lord. That year-end closure closed a chapter in my book of life that I really didn’t want to close, and man, did that ever hurt. I’ll address and talk more about dealing with grief and the new empty nest mindset in a future post, but for now, just know that you will have to deal with me for a bit as I navigate this new normal.
My promise to you all
I promise to speak the truth cordially and as transparent, openly, and honestly as I most possibly can. I pray you will journey with me and join me by interacting on this blog. Let’s learn and grow together. Welcome, my friends, to 2022! I have zero expectations, must prayerfully resist the urge to be apprehensive of what’s to come, and practice mental strength as I exercise self-control to keep these emotions of mine under control, but I welcome 2022 nonetheless- let’s do this…. Together.