Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

My last entry was angry and full of self pity. In moments of weakness, it's easy to forget how blessed I really am. I experienced some really nice blessings during the holiday weekend. My Christmas with John and my family was wonderful. I'm thrilled that I'm here to celebrate another holiday and that my body feels strong enough to enjoy two of my favorite things: shopping and baking! We also went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church and it was so nice.
 
I went back to work yesterday after having a few days off. I learned that one of my contacts at our headquarters office died suddenly over the weekend. I never got to meet her face to face, but we spoke on the phone and emailed frequently regarding work projects. In fact, I just talked to her last week. I knew that she had been sick and recently had surgery, although she was back to work and recovering. Hearing this news made me very sad, and her family is in my prayers. But it also reminded me that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Three years ago, I could barely celebrate Christmas because I was in so much pain. It was all I could do to put on my wig and makeup and pretend to feel good so I wouldn't disappoint or scare my niece and nephew. Now, I'm working in the office every day, going to church, shopping, cooking/baking, and hosting my family at my house for the holidays. I'm so thankful for all of these things.
 
One of my Facebook friends posted something really cool and I’m going to do it in 2013. On January 1, you take an empty jar or container, and put in little notes about good things that happen throughout the year. Then on New Year’s Eve, you empty it and read all the little notes. I think that sounds really awesome. I’m going to make sure to date each note that I write too. What a wonderful way to truly count your blessings!