December 31

It's been quite a long while since I've been sad to see a year end, but I can honestly say that 2017 has been a good one for me. I feel like I'm finishing this year comfortable with myself and with who I was made to be, and given how much of my existence has been plagued by insecurity and anxiety over how others view me, that's a pretty big deal. (And truthfully, it's kinda-sorta miraculous.)

I finished my year with a mini-reunion with some ladies from my junior high days. I don't think I'd seen any of them in person in more than 20 years, though I'd kept up with most via social media. It was quite a lot of fun (and maybe a wee bit jarring) to just sit and talk about our lives and to realize that though two decades have passed and we've all experienced various forms of personal strife, we're still who we were when we were 13 years old -- just a little older and immeasurably wiser. I left feeling privileged to be part of a group comprised of such strong, capable women.

Then this evening, we headed back to my brother's house for dinner and to eat the cheesecake we made yesterday. I loved watching the kiddos and their cousins goof around; they have this natural energy when they're together that just makes me smile.

As this year comes to a close and I finish up five years (!) of this blog, I wish all of you a blessed 2018, and I encourage you --no matter how your future may look right now-- to look for God in every day and in every situation, because He'll be there.