2011

2011 was a special year for me. Not special in a normal way but special in an extraordinary way.

 

In fact, special wasn’t even the right word for it. Smashing comes a lot closer. Exquisite for sure. Exceptional and memorable and at the same time uncommon, unique and unusual. Particular days were peculiar. The events and circumstances I experienced were among the best of my life and at the same time I recall with each breath what brought me here.

 

Smashing is a better adjective for describing 2011 because that’s what happened this year. Every notion I had of myself or what it is that I would be doing in my life had to be smashed for me to experience an infinitely better set of circumstances than I could have imagined.

 

2011 was certainly a memorable year. I remember just about every moment. I remember how and why my career changed paths. This was a gift from God. I remember how my relationship with Stacey has changed and grown and am grateful and undeserving of her grace. What we have now is far from perfect and at the same time better than anything we had before.

 

The magic of watching Carley, Zoe & Phoebe grow another 365 days is just amazing for me to consider. Carley was one year old the last time I had a career change. I carried her in to my first day on the job in the state House of Representatives. Today she stands 5’4″ tall and I would have an easier time carrying my sister-in-law! Zoe has really come into her own and is the best soccer player that has ever inhabited the planet Earth (as far as I am concerned). Last but not least, Phoebe filled our days and nights with so much love and humor I almost don’t want to send her to kindergarten next year (well…almost).

 

This evening as I write this blog entry I am not thinking much about the football games that I plan to watch this weekend. I do plan to watch football games, it’s just that they don’t matter much anymore. If having such a thing as a “New Year” is worth anything at all it must simply be the measurement of where you were to where you are today in the areas of what truly matters in this life.

 

What truly matters in life was the thing that was hardest to learn. My hope is others who read this find it for themselves as I did in 2011. What a special year it was.