Looking Ahead

Season’s Greetings!  Many thanks to all the readers who have helped to make this holiday season brighter for our family.  I had thought to send out Christmas cards this year but procrastination and intention have merged and now I’m thinking I’ll send out New Year cards instead.  I like the holidays in general and kids draw you into them regardless of how in tune you are with your inner grinch, with their excitement, holiday productions and parties, but I find I’m currently more focused on looking ahead to next year.

I am determined that 2013 will (despite 13′s reputation) be a GOOD year for my family.  This past year has been a bit upsetting and unsettling – lots of chaos and departures and loss.  And even though we planned for some of it our plans haven’t turned out as well as I would have liked.  The goal was to move, find a job, put aside money for a place of our own, and begin to re-establish ourselves in a somewhat more ‘normal’ life.  We managed the moving but have run into a few walls as far as the rest goes.  That hasn’t changed the plan, however, if anything we are recommitting to it with even more determination.  If I don’t accomplish anything else this coming year I will somehow get us into our own home.  We are, naturally, very grateful to have a place to stay, but bunking with a relative was meant to be a temporary situation.  We need more space and autonomy, our long-suffering relative needs to regain his privacy, peace and quiet!

I have hopes that with the election behind us and the fiscal cliff situation resolved in some (yet to be decided) fashion, the coming year might bring a bit more stability.  I hope more jobs will open up and I’ll be able to land one.  I look forward to continuing to expand our goat operation and to adding honey bees and vegetable gardens to our little hobby farm.  I will squirrel away any spare amount of money that comes our way to put towards the purchase of a mobile home (fixer-uppers go for under $5,000 around here) and will continue to explore ways in which we can prepare our homesite with the minimum cost (dig our own well? ).

This has been a long, arduous and costly journey and I will be honest - I don’t foresee any miracles, just a lot more hard work, but for some reason I feel we are getting closer to our goals.  I’m hopeful.

Happy Holidays!