Dear 2015….

Dear 2015,

Again, I have acquired a new best friend only to have to say goodbye too quickly. You will be sorely missed.

I am grateful to you and must express that with my heartfelt thanks before you leave.  You have dropped many precious Easter eggs along my path this year for me to find.  All unexpected treasures and delights to be savored.

You have given me precious time with our little Emmaline.  Hours spent just smiling at this little miracle of childhood, as she played and explored her world with curiosity and boundless energy.  Each week was a new feat of learning to be observed in that little angel.  I am so very thankful that I was able to share in that journey.

You helped me to make new friends that will forge into the connective tissue of lasting relationships to be treasured.  You took me back to visit old friends…. friends that are more valuable than gold … from earlier places of my timeline. There is something rare and wonderful about those who knew you when you were young and fresh and untested without some of the trials that would eventually come your way.   You helped me realize that time and distance don’t get in the way of people who are tethered together by their heartstrings.  For that, I am truly grateful.

You gave Steve and me a bucket list trip during our friendship with you, 2015.   You took us to a place that I have only beheld in my dreams.  You helped us see an ancient land that has been a friend of yours and your ancestors for eons.  It helped us to gain perspective of our place in this grand scheme of time.

You unexpectedly gave us back a piece of our cherished memories from our other yearly friends… of having kids in our nest.   2015, you brought our youngest son and daughter-in-love to live under our roof for a short time in their journey. It was so wonderful to share the laughter and joy of having young ones near again, and allow us to be quiet bystanders to their life and adventures. Priceless treasure it was!

You have brought many young couples into our orbit this year, as well, through small groups and mentoring. We are forever blessed by their presence in our lives as we attempt to give back in small measure what has been doled out to us in large doses.  We are grateful for the opportunity of all that they have to teach us.

I really don’t want to say good bye, you know, but some friends I sadly realize are just for a season.  Please feel free and come back to visit me.  My memory doors will always be open and waiting to welcome you in.   In the meantime, please put in a good word for me for 2016.   One can never have enough good friends.

Your friend,

Pam