A look back at 2021
It was a stressful, agonizing year. In March, an ambulance took my mother to the hospital and then later to a rehab facility. Sadly, she could no longer stay in the home she’d been in for seventeen years, so rehab transferred her to a long-term care facility. And we knew it was the final stop.
Life is a vapor. It passes by so quickly. And it was never clearer to me than this year.
From April until September, I traveled to my mother’s condo eight hours away and spent two weeks out of every month going through the accumulations of her lifetime, which included many of my grandmother’s possessions.
My mother’s place was a showcase for Better Homes & Gardens. She loved to decorate, and it showed in every room of her home. With five adult grandchildren and twelve grandchildren, much of what my mother owned, no one wanted. Some things went to Salvation Army, some things will be sold, and some things were pitched. I kept the best of the best.
I sorted through vast amounts of paper, photos, and memorabilia that made me cry and saddened me. At one point, my daughters came for the weekend to help sort through her kitchen and dining room. With two china cabinets, one in the dining room and one in the living room, I could tell my daughters stories of the assorted items in her cupboards.
Memories flooded my soul. What I remember most were the Thanksgiving dinners. It was her holiday to shine and one we all loved. Mom started collecting Franciscan Apple dinnerware almost sixty years ago. Until the manufacturer brought out new pieces back in the late 90s, she owned every piece ever made. The collection is astounding and one I will not part with, even though those fabulous dinners are a thing of the past because family members are scattered all over the east coast. I will take the dining room set because it is something my mother cherished along with those dishes.
She set the table with fine linen, candles, and a centerpiece. She’d set the table the night before and then got up at four or five in the morning to stuff the bird and get everything ready for a meal at two.
We haven’t seen a Thanksgiving like that for twenty years. And it’s OK because I have the memories. What is sad is that my grandchildren will never know the fun times we had around the dinner table playing trivial pursuit or cards. Those days are long gone because electronics and Netflix have taken their place.
There are still many things to do before the home goes on the market in 2022, but I’m on the downside of the hill. Oh, there will be more memories as I transport the many boxes and the dining room to my home, but for now I’m coming to terms with my mother’s passing and that life changes. Sometimes daily.
I never expected that my mother would die this year. I expected she’d live for another five years, but I’m thankful I also made sure everything I planned for her funeral ahead of time. It eased the stress when I got the phone call. There were still things to take care of, but we banded together and got it done.
Examining the past helps us to make way for the future, which leads me to resolutions and goals for the New Year.
Until last year, I set no New Year’s resolutions or goals. It seemed foolish to me. But last year, I decided I needed writing goals. I had made no personal goals, though.
Aside from the many trips I took, what did I accomplish last year?
Amid those terrible times, I wrote three books and took classes including a month-long conference which I never completed because my mother passed away right in the middle of the class in October, and I was trying to finish a Christmas novel I planned to publish on Thanksgiving. That didn’t happen, but I worked long hours to ensure the book came out before Christmas, and it did.
I accomplished one writing goal, and that was to publish four books in 2021. Although one of them was a compilation or boxed set of the first three books in the Women of Worthy series, it still took time and effort to get it published. And I’m taking it as my fourth book. Since I managed to complete that goal, I’m making the same goal for 2022.
One of my goals for the new year is to complete the October course so I can get started on book six of my series.
My goal was to attend one online writing conference, and I attended one and a half.
So many goals went untouched this year, but I reached those two goals. Considering the year, I’m thankful I achieved them.
My social media goals? Forget it. Those went by the wayside. But that’s OK because some of them grew despite my lack of attention. And that’s a good thing.
This year, I will, however, not only have writing goals which I will monitor throughout the year, but I’ll have personal goals. The usual lose weight is always at the top of the list, along with household goals. I’ve set up a calendar with those goals.
My word for the year is… perseverance. We’ll see how that works out in 2022.
And my prayer for everyone is to have a much better year next year. Have a safe and prosperous New Year!
A writer friend of mine suggested we share memories of Christmas but since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I’d like to share my Thanksgiving memories with you.
My Italian grandma usually cooked the other holidays but Thanksgiving was my mom’s baby, although I think my grandmother may have made the pies because she was an expert pie maker. And, my mom did everything else. So it worked.
Mom made the stuffing the day before. Her special recipe that took a lot of time and effort. We all loved that stuffing. And because we only got it once a year, the years she made it a different way got mixed reviews even some thumbs down.
I spent most of the morning watching the parade on television back when there was a parade on every channel and we only had three of them. After dinner, we’d play cards.
After dinner, we spent hours as a family playing board games. We had so much fun during those years. Everyone participated, and no one had phones in their hands (no cell phones) and no computers back then either. The kids, all in junior high or high school didn’t even ask to watch television or a movie. It was family time. we all enjoyed one another’s presence.
Despite that crazy memory, I’m grateful for all those tremendous Thanksgiving dinners filled with laughter, great food, and wonderful conversations. The memories are bittersweet. Mom turned 90 this year and no longer cooks nor does she want to leave her home to celebrate holidays. Dad passed and our children’s families live far enough away that celebrating Thanksgiving isn’t as easy as it once was. But, we will always have our memories and we are blessed to have had them. I am grateful and will always cherish them.
