Goodbye 2007

Dear 2007,

Thank you for teaching me patience and perseverance. It is an extremely handy coping mechanism, especially in dealing with my feisty two-year-old. Thank you for the health and safety of that same child throughout the last year. I feel fortunate that we have dealt with only an occasional fever, runny noses, bumps, and bruises. Thank you for giving me reason to smile several times a day and feel overwhelmed with love. Thank you for letting me appreciate the simple things and to live life through the eyes of a child again.

Thank you for a prosperous year and continued success at work. If I have to work to make money, I am lucky to do so at a place where I can laugh, feel safe, and be inspired. Thank you from saving Paul from the hell known as Hover Manor and for giving him the opportunity to shine anew in culinary bliss. Thank you for giving us the strength and security to evolve with these changes without any collateral or emotional damage. Thank you for teaching us that marriage is about change and that we are allies, not enemies. We share a common cause and while our path to reach the cause will differ, our goal is the same. Thank you for showing us that the joy is in the journey before the journey is over.

Thank you for our families. Thank you for not letting the distance of miles come between us. Thank you for creating strength in the miles and for the discovery that love transcends physical distance. Thank you for e-mail, cell phones, and free calls on the weekend. Thank you for keeping everyone as healthy as can be reasonably expected. Thank you for reminding me to not wish for things that are not, nor will ever be, possible. Thank you for helping me see a reason to feel grateful in a situation that others would consider sad.

Thank you for giving me a body that works. While it may not have reached its goal this year to return to its pre-pregnancy glory, it proved bountiful enough to support a new life. Thank you for the gift of another child and for making the odds work for us. Thank you for showing me that 1 out of 20 is really just five percent. Thank you for a healthy pregnancy so far and for making me a day closer to NOT being pregnant anymore!

Thank you for my friends -- their support and love. Thank you for helping them tolerate my wacky sense of humor and neurotic behavior. Thank you for making them my biggest supporters and my inspiration. Thank you for allowing me to continue growing so that I can become a better friend.

2007... you have been a relatively uneventful year and I mean that in the best way possible. 2008... please follow suit.

Clearly Thankful in Many Ways,

Kristen