Given that by now my character must be gold plated, I’m requesting a 2013 with zero character building opportunities, at all. Just light hearted froth, with lots of joy, deep satisfaction, and ‘laurel resting’…. I wish the same for everyone who has just had a sufficient ‘character building’ year. ~ Author Unknown

As I look towards a new year and close of the one before, I wonder about making resolutions, setting expectations, gazing into the looking glass of the future, while simultaneously shedding and embracing the complex layers of the past. I remember that as we parted with 2011, J and I felt relieved to be leaving behind a year that seemed riddled with trials and tribulations… we looked forward to 2012 with anticipation and hope. Less than a few weeks into it, the year slammed us with challenges that we never even imagined… and with each step forward it seemed that the worst possible scenario unfolded before our eyes. While our actions might not have been perfect, and certainly did not demonstrate deep reflection but rather evolved in every moment as it moved towards us at what felt like unprecedented speed… we survived, and as my mother-in-law constantly reminds us: “we are still standing”… and we are still living as deeply as we can.

And so, as I look toward 2013, the passage above rings more true than ever before. Perhaps it is true that we are not given more than we can handle. And it is most certainly true that when i consider the tremendous fate that touches the lives of so many people around the world (as compared to my own seemingly privileged life), my own grief feels both trivial and self-indulgent. However, I am hopeful that I can look towards 2013 with a little less ‘character building’, and instead an opportunity to re-engage in all the blessings that are right before my eyes.