Do you know Gavin?

Gavin Owens, that is. His story, although short, is amazing, inspiring, and heart wrenching. Read it! What's more is the amazing family from which he came. I sat for hours this week reading his and his family's story, sobbing into a whole box of tissues and just wishing I could tell this family how profound I think their presence in this world is. It gave me some much needed perspective and a reality check on just what a precious, wonderful, and blessed life I lead. Vincent will be turning two next month, and to think, in their shoes, I would be counting down the days of the next year and half—a race I would run backwards to never want to finish. Yet, they did and they moved on in ways I only wish I had the strength to possess: adoption of two special children. It breaks my heart that they will never see Gavin grow and become the wonderful young man he would have been—and he would have because his parents are true beckons of light in this dark world. But in his place they wouldn't have meet and become parents to these wonderful children, along with their other daughter. It's not the perfect happy ending, but it's amazing and uplifting. Thanks Owens family for being brave enough to share your story with us. May we always keep our own lights shining like you have for Gavin!

Confident, not cocky

Job interviews, how dost loathe thee? Let me count the ways. I'm mixing up my references and I'm sure murdering the Shakespearean (?) language or something. Shakespeare was never my thang. But seriously, job interviews really suck "donkey balls," as a colleague of mine would say. I feel like it becomes a match of "how much do you want this job?" I fully expect them to start bringing out jars of live beetles for me to toss back—and maybe that would be easier. Stay tuned. All systems and creativeness on hold.

Well I did say simplify

I've been working on something huge. I'm not going to say bigger than life because well, the product of that venture is soundly asleep in his room. :) But a verbal presentation is involved, and I haven't given a presentation since my mandatory speech class in college. I've never had a problem speaking in public. The part that gets me is being prepared enough, so that's where I'm at. Preparing my little pants off and hoping I can do this.

This weekend Vincent had the tummy bug. It's so sad when your child wakes you up screaming in the middle of the night and you go to find him covered in vomit. Thank goodness for zip-up footie pjs. Unzip, pull child from clothes, put soiled pjs in washer, rezip child in new pair. We worried he'd puke again and because we didn't want to have to deal with having to clean up our bed if he got sick, we all slept in the guest bedroom. I barely got any sleep because Vincent wanted to play.

New word new year

OK, here's the deal: The new year gets me down. I'm only just realizing the new year heaps on the depression, and that every year around this time, I get down in the dumps. Why? I think I finally put my finger on it: the expectations and pressure to do something profound with this "clean" slate. I always feel like I need to go back to the beginning to have a clean slate. But since it's certainly not possible to be put back in my mama's womb, I guess I need to learn to be OK with superficial clean slates. So deep breath in, and EXHALE!

To help me along with my clean slate is my word for the year: simplify. I heard less is the new more. Profound. Oh and emerald green is the color of the year.

Here are my goals for the new year:
Professionally

• Create a better portfolio
• Find a new job
• Write more, even if it means turning in some rejection letters to some publishers
• Beef up on social media skills

Personally

• Practice yoga on the weekends
• Journal during the evenings
• Knit gifts for next Christmas
• Sew a quilt
• Run in the MuckFest with my family
• Play more with Vincent
• Take more pictures
• Learn how to use my camera outside of the auto mode
• Be more organized