As I enter the year where I will reach the 7th decade of my life, I look back and reflect upon what lessons I have learned in 2011.
First, always take time to be with your family and close friends in a loving way. Nothing is more important than letting the people you love know it.
We never know when they will be taken from us.
Second, I can learn from each and every experience, no matter how deeply painful it is.
Third, I learned to strike fear aside and be authentic, even if it meant other people might not like it.
Fourth, I learned just how much my husband of almost 25 years loves me and how giving and caring he can be when I am bereft.
Fifth, I learned that my eldest son, Mike, forgave me and loved me before he passed away.
Sixth, I learned that my other two sons, Tony, and Matt, have chosen the very best partners to share their lives with, and are so happy with their sweethearts.
So, I enter 2012 with both a heart heavy with loss, and the realization that love triumphs over all, and I look forward to opening my heart even further this year.
