Endings and Beginnings

When I think back over this past year, it amazes me at the fullness of the experiences I have had. It has been a year of exhilaration and romance, a year of grief and tragedy, a year of awareness and growth. But most importantly, it has been a year of life. A year of living life and finding beauty in the moments. Learning from the past and looking with hope and anticipation toward the future. It has been a year of reflection and realization.

There are many people that have crossed the journey of my path throughout this year. Many that have been walking this journey with me for years, and also many that have only just begun to share in my journey. Each have engraved their own unique mark upon my soul, leaving me with an abundance of memories and an ever increasing appreciation for life and love.

This year has taught me myriad lessons. Lessons about life and death, lessons about forgiveness and honesty, lessons about love and commitment. It taught me the importance of friendships and the natural ebb and flow of all relationships. It taught me how to allow the ebb and flow to follow its own course and trust in the knowledge that the tide will return to the shore when its time has come. This year taught me that sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of the value of life and those we hold close to our hearts. It taught me that life offers no guarantees and that this moment is the only certainty. This year taught me the importance of patience, both with myself and with others. It taught me that loving others and loving myself are integral and intertwining pieces of life’s essence. This year taught me that letting go is sometimes the only way to find peace, but letting go does not mean giving up. It is only when we truly love something (someone) that we may allow ourselves to let go, trusting that life and God may eventually reunite us, if it is meant to be. This year taught me to use the past, both good and bad, as stepping stones for the future, to allow the experiences of my own past to guide the path for my present days and the days to come. This year taught me that happiness comes from within, that dreams should never be abandoned, and that the possibility of happily-ever-afters still does exist.

As I reflect back on the lessons this year has taught me, I am filled with gratitude and hope. Gratitude for the experiences and moments, and the overflowing beauty that has filled my days. Even in the midst of the storm, beauty has been, and can be, found. This year has offered me hope for the new year. Hope for the experiences and moments that will inevitably provide further glimpses of the beauty in this world.

As 2005 comes to an end and 2006 rushes to greet us, may we all be filled with peace and harmony. May we each recognize the importance of the past and the future, the endings and beginnings, and allow the tide the gently meet the shore at the stroke of midnight.