Well, when I last chatted here, I had declared this year to be my best year ever. I was full of anticipation, hope, plans - all the good stuff. And then . . . Life started to shake rattle and roll. 

My husband got sick. My sister got sick. One of my best friends was hospitalized. And worse, worse, worst of all, one of the dearest people in our lives fell lethally ill with one of the worst cancers ever and our world was really turned inside out and upside down. Topping it all off, the river boat cruise we had been scheming and dreaming and planning on for two years, fell apart the day before we were flying to Europe because the Rhine river in Europe was too low for boats. What a launch to "the best year ever."

I'm still pondering on it all. It's been a large pile of stuff to wade through. I've had such mixed feelings without being able to sort them completely. I always feel like I live lucky. My life is full of good times and great people. Even while all of this has been happening, the summer has had a lot of fun attached to it too. 

I'm thinking that's life. It zigs and zags. It flows like a river, and it dries up like a river at times. It's full of unexpected detours. I know people say you can't enjoy the good without experiencing the hard, but I've never been a real fan of that belief. I'm fairly certain I would always appreciate the good even if that is all I've ever known. 

That's not to say I don't think life needs challenges. Growth takes problem-solving. Pride comes from overcoming and conquering. There is lots of good that can come out of a situation you were unsure how to handle. Good stories, in fact, have to have challenges.  Otherwise, they would be ho-hum and boring. I know when I started writing the South Pole Santa books one of the challenges I had to figure out was how hard circumstances and even villains could work into a happy Christmas adventure series. But the stories are so much better as a result of that diversity.

But hard also redirects your life. Sometimes just for a bit and sometimes for a full lifetime. I wasn't feeling smug about declaring this year "my best one ever" but I do feel quieter about it now. Somehow, losing someone so significant to us makes it much more about "the year we lost Toby" and that could never, ever, be described as my best year ever even if the rest of it becomes really good. 

So that's why I haven't caught up lately. Life has been dimmer of late but still, in the gifts everyday continues to bring, also really wonderful.

Thoughtfully Yours - Jingle