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Moving On

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Time to say goodbye to 2016. It was a mixed bag – at least for me, for us.

A campaign season that was never-ending and full of vitriol, bigotry…I’ll stop there. You know how I feel. I swear it gnawed away at my soul, leaving me bruised and despairing and angry. But I won’t give up hope. Though I dread what is to come in 2017, I have vowed to fight and to work for those causes that I believe in.

I ain’t backing down.

It’s also the year in which we lost our dear girl.

I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. We’re coming up on a year and I feel the raw pain of loss just as strongly today as I felt it last February.

Don and I talk about her all the time.

Okay. I have to stop because I’ve started crying again.

I have felt, and still feel, sad and depressed. The last few years have been full of loss, starting with Don’s dad, then Riley, then my Mom, then Dad, then Scout. I’m basically a positive, cheerful being, but I have to say that I’ve been moving through life this year in a fog of sadness. It’s normal, this feeling, and I’ve honored it and let it be what it needs to be. Grieving is ongoing and there is no time table or end date. Thank goodness for moments of joy. They kept me going.

New Year’s Eve isn’t a big deal for us, so Don is staying home and I’m staying here. I have a rehearsal today and one tomorrow. I’m tired. I don’t want to drive all the way home only to drive back tomorrow morning. Don doesn’t want to drive here, pay a lot of money for parking, and then drive back home tomorrow. It seems like a lot of hassle for two people who go to bed long before midnight!

We’ll have a phone date.

Dear friends, here’s to a New Year that I hope and pray will be full of joy and happiness for all of you. I send my very best wishes to you as we transition to 2017, along with a wish for a world ruled by love, not hate. Kindness. Compassion. Tolerance. An embrace of inclusiveness. I pray for those who have lost their moral compass with a fervent hope that they find it again. That they come home.

Much love to you all.

Happy Saturday.

 

 

Comments

  1. 2016 was a difficult year in many ways and it leaves me wanting to cling to time and make it stop and pause for just a little while to savor the good things. Not being able to do that, I am going to try to live each moment with open eyes, ears, heart, & mind so that I can be attentive to and grateful for beauty, goodness, kindness and all that is right with the world…it is the only way I know how to respond to all that I find so upsetting. I’m hoping to live with more peace and compassion. Happy New Year, Claudia.

  2. It has been a hard year. The spill over from losing my brother in Dec and then my wonderful Charlie in Feb. The awful election and aftermath and my health issues. I’m saying goodbye to 2016 with a heavy heart, but have told myself I will find JOY, peace and goodness in 2017. My saving graces this year have been Tiger & Scout. How can I be sad when I see those adorable faces and hear ‘Grandma’ from those sweet mouths. I know I am blessed. I am so glad I went ahead and found Annie to live with me. I wasn’t ready for a long time and then I was. She is sweet and already has found a place in my heart. I don’t do much on New Year’s Eve but stay home and enjoy a movie. Hugs to you and Don!

    • It has been a tough year for you my friend. I’m glad you have your grandkids and sweet Annie. Take care of yourself today and Happy New Year!

  3. I hope the new year is better for you, Claudia, and for all of us.

    We are still missing our boy who died in June, and some days it hurts so much it feels like you can’t breathe.

    Have a lovely evening and phone date, and a good weekend. Take care of yourself, and thanks for being here.

    • I wish the same for you, Bridget. I know that feeling of almost not being able to breathe.

      Best to you and yours – Happy New Year!

  5. Love your last paragraph, Claudia! 2016 was a tough year for many, but no matter how bad things get, there are always blessings if we choose to see them. Let’s all be open to possibilities for 2017, acknowledge our blessings, bestowing a few on others as we go, and create wonderful experiences and memories. Endings also signify new beginnings. Much love back to you.

  6. I love Debbie’s comment…actually after reading them all…I hear HOPE! And that’s all I can ask for these days. 2016 was a difficult year for us…personally. Oh, there were a few good things…but overall…I am happy to say good bye to 2016! So…I remain hopeful that we can all remember how to get along better…to restore some humanity to our daily lives. How does that go…Hope springs eternal? Happy New Year Claudia! ;)

    • Hope must be part of going forward. If we don’t have hope, we will lose faith in our fellow man and we won’t have the will to fight. Happy New Year, Donnamae!

  9. Another wonderful post, Claudia. You express what I’m feeling better than I can myself. For the first time ever I really feel no “bittersweetness” at seeing the old year fade away. It can’t get out of the way fast enough for me, and although God alone knows what 2017 will bring, I know there are tens of millions of us who are hoping, and praying, and WORKING to see, that it is better. So much of 2016 was uncharted territory, unpredecented behavior – that we really didn’t know how to react. We really were dumbfounded by what we were seeing, and hearing. But that isn’t the case any longer. We know now, and we won’t just “let things happen.” We also know there are millions more of us who want to preserve this country than there are those who want to destroy it, and to paraphase something Aaron Sorkin said in a letter to his daughter the day after the election, America’s darkest days have always been followed by its finest hours. So we go forward, undeterred. The happiest and healthiest of New Year’s to you and Don, and all my fellow readers too. May the Force be with us all, and with the United States of America. 🇺🇸 ❤️

    • I saw that letter, but I need to reread it, Janet. Thank you for reminding me about it! Thank you for your always thoughtful words, for your passion about this country. Happy New Year!

  11. Between the wonderful highs and the desperately sad lows, I found 2016 exhausting. After finally a few days off to pause and reflect, I too am “moving on”. I sincerely wish you and Don and all your readers peace and happiness for the year ahead.

    • I did, too. Totally exhausting. I’m glad to say goodbye to it with hope for change in the year ahead. Happy New Year!

  12. Happy New Year Claudia. I am trying to believe that we will be alright in the coming year, but I am not sure. What I am sure of is that there are a lot of good people in this world, and that is what I am hanging on to.

    • I’m not sure, either. But I have to, must, believe that eventually right will triumph. Happy New Year!

  14. Oh, Claudia, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Your readers are just the nicest people!

  16. Yes, the election and the results were awful. The good news is that strong people across this country are standing up against bigotry and fear.
    Happy 2017. We will make it better!
    Peace

    • And we’ll continue to do that, Carolyn Marie, as we move into 2017 and beyond. Happy New Year. And peace.

  17. Claudia, thank you for continuing to be a voice for kindness, compassion and tolerance.

    As you know 2016 has been a very difficult year for me as my mother’s fulltime caregiver and her subsequent passing in September. December has been a particularly hard month dealing with grief and sadness.

    As I look toward 2017 I find that I need to redefine my life, now that I am no longer a caregiver, and try to move forward seeking new definition and fulfillment.

    Wishing for you and Don and your readers peace, love and kindness in the coming year.

    • Wishing you the best in 2017, Denise, as you transition to a redefined life. Bless you. I know this Christmas has been hard for you.

      Happy New Year!

  18. It sounds like 2016 was an unbelievable year for many.
    The thoughts shared here make my heart hurt but having a place like this to share them, and hopefully, feel a bit better afterward, makes my heart soar!
    Happy New Year to Claudia & all her followers!🌹

  22. 2016 certainly has been a year of learning , unfortunately some of it unpleasantly shocking. But there is so very much to be grateful for in our personal lives and hope is there remembering the resolve of the majority of us not to sit by quietly while hate, cruelty, and greed rear their ugly heads and attempt to to be the prevailing policy. Gratitude and thanks to you for sharing your Mockingbird Hill world and for your thoughts that have special meaning to so many of us. Best wishes, Dianne

  23. Dear Claudia, I’m a little slow on the uptake, for that, I apologize.
    I just had to step up and put my 2cents in. I feel like the things that people are seeking to celebrate, in the new year are the things that you and Don practice and celebrate every day.
    Therefore (Watching the ball drop)or not, in different States, is no big deal!
    The Best to you, Don, and your families in 2017
    God Bless Us Everyone! Love to You and our wonderful group here, you all help me so much.
    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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