2016 started ominously with Great Grandma finding a lump on
her breast and ended with us turning in the keys to her on vacant home.
Was everything about 2016 bad
of course not.
There were many happy moments throughout the year, times that
we laughed until we cried. Great Sunday
dinners shared with Great Grandma and Great John, road trips to take in the
beauty of the Ontario country side, family gatherings, and vacations.
The
rest our family experienced good health in 2016 and we gathered together for
Christmas Eve and shared memories of Great Grandma, face-timing with Great
John sharing as much of our experience with him as we could.
What have we learned from our experiences in 2016?
1.
Never pass on an opportunity to visit with
family too soon the opportunity will no longer exist. Thus it is that in 2017 we want to continue
the tradition of inviting family and friends to Sunday dinner and with
each meal we will keep alive the joy that breaking bread with family after
church brought to Mother.
2.
We have no control over the future. We can make all of the plans we want too and
believe with all our hearts that positive outcomes will result only to
experience the unexpected and tragedy.
We watched helplessly while too many moments in 2016 were wasted in
worry, planning, anxiety, and anger.
These were moments that robbed life of joy and happiness unnecessarily. In 2017 we desire to live in the moments life
gives us, to seek joy in the face of tragedy and let tomorrow worry about it’s
self. We will make plans and once they
are made relax back into the moment we find ourselves in.
3.
Our stuff is not necessarily important to the
next generation. You only
have to dispose of the beloved objects of a family member to realize that what
they held as precious, important, worthy of handing-down does not necessarily
have the same value to next generation.
What held value were small things that evoked memories of
Grandma/Mother, a picture on the wall, a piece of costume jewelry she worn all
the time, hand written recipes that she would make when you visited. In 2017 we will declutter our home asking our
children if pieces of furniture, picture … hold value for them these we will
keep. Before we send family heirlooms to
a second hand shop we will reach out to extended family to see if value can be
found there.
4.
We all have too much clutter in our lives. We are not referring to items spoken of above, no this is just stuff. Papers we filed
away 10 years ago and never looked at again, cleaning supplies with an inches
left in them, old glasses, clothing … just the general accumulation of daily stuff. In 2017 we are going to declutter our home systematically
going through every closet, drawer, cedar chest, book shelf and cupboard. We started on our pantry and to our
horror we found things that were best before dated in 2012! They had been pushed to the back forgotten
for four years Yuck!
5.
The importance of looking after yourself. Never
forgo taking time out of each day for yourself because other need you. If you are needed then you must keep yourself
healthy, well hydrated and rested. We took three weeks in the fall and
travelled to Utah those memories held us together during the hardest times of
2016. We both have daily routines that
renew us and in 2017 we plan on moving these forward. Never underestimate the importance of kiss every morning before you part or holding hands when walking beside someone you love.
6.
We
are not indispensable that being part of a family means that others will
step up and fill the breaches your absence creates. The strength of a family can be measured by the flexibility of the members to step up and change roles. In 2017 we will continue to travel knowing
that our children will support each other and as their parents we will start to step back letting them shine as competent adults making new tradition for this family of ours.
So as 2016 slips away quietly in our home, was 2016 a bad year…
no it was a normal year made up of moments, new experiences, joy, sadness,
family, laughter, fear, work, play, sickness, health, anger, forgiveness, friendship,
love, birth and death.
What will
2017 bring, well more of the same and for this we are grateful.
Grandma Snyder
©2013-2017 twosnydergirls.
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