Random bits of blogging the New Year

~In just about four minutes 2010 will be over and 2011 will commence.  I guess it's tradition now for me to blog in the New Year; maybe it's a testament to how dull and boring my life can be that I am sitting here with my laptop every New Year's Eve at midnight.

~For a few years I did the 'year in review' meme in which I posted the first sentence of of each month's first post, but I haven't blogged every month in 2010, so that meme won't be happening here. I've been thinking all day about this past year; in many ways it's been fairly uneventful. If 2009 was the year of change for me, 2010 is the year I had to live into that change.

~Well. it's midnight now--Happy New Year!! I hear fire works going off outside but I have no idea where they are coming from. 

~One of the big parts of living into the changes has been learning to live all by myself. In some ways I don't mind it. I'm an introvert and after work sometimes all I want is some quiet time. But I've discovered that I really miss having kids at home with me. I was never a helicopter parent, never one to call my kids alot when they were away, and never expected to suffer from any sort of "empty nest" thing, but now that they are all out of the house, I really miss them.

~I have never lived near family--we left my father's home town when I was 8, and I've never lived closer than three hours to family since then.  So I'm not used to frequent family gatherings like some people have; it was just never possible. But if I could, I'd move closer to my daughters--I'd really love to be able to see J and M more often and be actively involved in their lives. And I'd like it if the Kid were close by, too. I talk to him pretty often now that he's in the city, and it's nice to stay connected that way.

~The other change I've lived in to is being "in charge." They did tell us in seminary that being rector meant worrying about buildings and money as much  as (or more than) anything else, and it's true. This year has been full of those issues: we lost five out of nine air conditioning units, and two out of three boilers in the last five months. Our budget deficit is so big it's sort of like thinking about the national debt (proportionately). Negativity is rampant. Of course there is much to love about what I do, and I'm glad to be here. But sometimes it is hard not to get sucked into that black hole of despair about how in the world things are going to work out.

~ And now it's time for bed. Happy New Year, everyone. May 2011 be a year filled with blessings!