Many people have taken to social media in the last 24 hours to say how happy they are to see 2016 come to an end. It was a year of great sadness, fear, destruction and shock in so many ways. For most of us, 2016 was definitely one of the worst years we have experienced thus far.
I don’t think we should let that stop us from celebrating what was good in 2016, though. The last part of 2016 was definitely exciting for Richmond Moms Blog, and especially for me as the Owner & Founder of this community. Following a dream to move to the East Coast and live in a city that delivers true seasons, rich history, culture, delicious food and gorgeous landscapes was a personal high of my year for sure. Meeting and getting to know some of the most incredible mothers and friends I’ve ever known is another high. The women that have come together to create the Richmond Moms Blog writing team work hard to bring you their honest and heart felt experiences of motherhood each week. We can’t wait to connect, laugh, cry and be encouraged with you in 2017!
Gratitude, they say is the perfect balm for suffering and hatred. Our team has much to be grateful for as we head into 2017. For some of us, the new year brings the incredible blessing of a new baby. Some of us opened our hearts and our homes to another child that we waited and hoped would come for so very long. For others, the anticipation of a new life to come later in 2017 was discovered just as 2016 came to a close. These women enter the new year with a good dose of morning sickness and exhaustion, but are fortified by the joy that is soon to come.
For some on our team, the new year brings a new chapter in their life that marks the beginning of a new family on their own terms. There are members of the team who mark the new year by being encouraged that their spouse is starting a new and more fulfilling career. Some will move to a new home and start new traditions as a family making their way in this beautiful city. No matter what the new thing is, each of us has something to celebrate as we close 2016 and enter 2017.
There are also members of the team who enter the year with more than the glimmering hope of new beginnings. They have experienced the pain and sadness of miscarriage. Some have seen relationships turn sour and start to wither, even amid their hopes and prayers. There are members of the team who are still seeking purpose and meaning within the monotony of early motherhood. Some enter the new year in a veil of darkness as they quietly battle depression and anxiety. Others are in the midst of painful marriage strife or financial stress.
So what if you find yourself surrounded by the noise and excitement of a New Year, but you don’t feel that same enthusiasm deep inside? What if the new year is looking bleak already and you are doing everything you can to hide your truth from your friends and neighbors?
You are not alone, Mama. Can I tell you something? My New Year’s Day was a TOTAL LET DOWN!
While I was {frantically} trying to get ready for church this morning, the twins found scissors and cut open the box their new doll house was delivered in. The box was full of styrofoam packing which they destroyed into tiny pieces and strew across the freshly mopped floors. After church, we went to a horribly over crowded restaurant where we waited 40 minutes for a bowl of soup that was delivered with a huge fly drowning to death. Then, we returned home and my husband informed he wasn’t feeling well so he would need to rest on the couch for an indefinite amount of time, even though I needed to make dinner and get the school bags reorganized and lunches packed. To his credit, he hopped up and helped with bath and bed time when I needed it most.
I yelled and cried today, on this, the First Day of the Magical New Year. But you know what, I sat down to write this note to you and share my truth on New Year’s Day, and I was immediately filled with laughter. I literally started laughing because I know that you understand. I am sure you have had your share of struggles today, because other than the fact that our iPhone changed the date to remind us that it is now officially 2017, nothing is really all that different.
We are each still a mom or a dad in the midst of the beautiful struggle and adventure that is parenthood.
And so, as I enter 2017, I will bring with me the joys and celebrations of 2016 and I will plan and hope for the surprises the new year will bring. But I will also keep right on trucking, doing the very best that I can in this thing called motherhood.
May 2017 be a Year filled with Brave, Bold Hearts that Find Authentic Connection in our Community!
Love,
Christina
Beautiful! As much as I am saddened but some of the shock waves that hit us in 2016, I am incredibly grateful for all that came to me in that year. I look forward to 2017, no matter what lies ahead. Thanks so much for sharing. I can’t wait to share more stories with you and hear the good and the ugly from all of the moms in the trenches!
peace and blessings for the New Year!
Thank you, Christina, for providing this venue for Richmond moms to connect and share stories! And thank you for sharing your own challenges and frustrations. That willingness to be vulnerable helps us all cope with the bumps along the road.
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