Calgon Take Me Away

If only it were that easy...  I suffer from insomnia every so often, actually, more often than not.  I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep each night and I am okay with it, but it never ends.  Last night it caught up with me and I NEVER fell asleep.  I tried all the tricks and it was too late to take a sleeping pill (which I really try to avoid anyway) so I just waited until the clock struck 6:00 am so I can call in sick.  There would have been no way I could have driven the 23 miles and taught with a happy face all day.  


I slept for 4 hours exactly and woke up, still exhausted.  So here we are tonight and I am worrying that I won't fall asleep again (that is a classic symptom of an insomniac), which means the worrying will keep me up.


I am hoping someone out there has the perfect solution, so if you do, please pretty please let me know.







Where Did the Time Go?

This past month has been such a blessing!  Having Big Miss home with us over the holidays filled our home with peace.  I am still not use to this college thing, so I am saddened that she left yesterday to what she now calls "home".  In just a few short months away from us, she has grown into a beautiful young woman, inside and out.  The conversations we had are some of the best I have ever had.  The little girl came out every once in a while, like when she laid in bed with me and slept on my chest.  I still look at her and see my 4 year old little ballerina.  Her sister also spent a lot of quality time with her and that made my heart happy.
The hardest part this time is that she decided to take her car back to school with her.  My friends, this adds a whole other stress to the college situation.  My nerves were on end until I got the phone call that she was safe in her dorm.  
Mister Pink cried this time (he didn't when she left in August) because it was very hard to watch her drive away in her car.  It was like a commercial, but after a few hours the reality set in.  
Time passes so quickly, it slips through our hands like sand, and we can never get the time back.  So hold on to those memories in your heart and in your mind, it is the only thing we have.





Release

Blogland has been inundated with a concept that I am in love with:  


One Little Word  (click to find out about it for yourself)


So after much contemplation, I have chosen my OLW for 2012:


RELEASE

I am going to let of it all and just be at peace.  I intend to not let things get to me this year and to just keep on keeping on.  

Last night we were lucky enough to have a beautiful firework display that was put on by someone in my neighborhood (we don't know who, but it was right over my house!).  During the fireworks, they also released lanterns into the sky and that is what I thought about today when I was thinking about my one little word.  It was so beautiful and innocent, I want to keep that image in my mind forever.  So here is my visual for RELEASE:





What word will you choose?




Ringing in the New Year, My Thoughts

Blessings are counted, family is present, peace is abundant, and 2012 is here to stay for the next 365 days.  


What did I think of 2011?  


I thought that it was a hard year, the year I watched my oldest child leave the nest to build her own nest away from us.  I thought it was a year to cry as my niece was diagnosed with Autism and some dreams melted away, but new dreams sprang up in the puddles of the old.  I thought it was a year of absence as I drew further from my spirituality and prayed that I would one day find my way back.  I thought it was a year of hope as I lived life to the fullest, loved to the fullest, cried to the fullest, and smiled to the fullest.  I am glad to see 2011 fly off into years gone by, but I am thankful that I was able to accept the changes she brought me in order to make the changes needed during 2012.


What are my hopes for 2012?


I hope for love beyond compare, peace to fill my heart, a family closeness like never before, prosperity for all, and the Grace of God to once again shine upon me.


Happy New Year!