The Passage of Time in General (And Another Year)

Tonight, as fireworks echo in the neighborhood, I walked through the hall. A picture of a large family gathering caught my attention. I picked the picture up and studied it for a few minutes. Some of the people in the picture (very top) are no longer with us, but our family has grown by at least 16 people (if I counted correctly) since that picture was taken. My cousin Katie isn't in the picture (was she not able to attend or is she the person who took the picture?). We would have all loved for Caroline to have been in this picture, but she became an angel days before she was supposed to have been born. The picture is of a Christmas gathering. We are at Soby's and I'm pretty sure it had only recently opened. If you didn't know it previously, members of my family at that time had a role in seeing Soby's launch.

As I took the frame apart to convert it to a digital photo, another picture was behind it. My granny with my cousin Patrick (err Edward) is my best guess. That Edward part is an inside family joke. If you know, you know.

Family is important. You don't get to choose your family; you are born into a family. We all have grown, lead different lives, cheer for different college sports teams (and we probably all should not gather to watch college football together). Each of us has experienced ups and downs in life (that's a given because that's kind of how life works, even if I don't know the ins and outs of what everyone has experienced).

These pictures represent the Hallman clan - my mother's family. The picture is only a snapshot in time, yet it ushers back many memories. Granny. Granny's basement. The real metal dartboard we cousins used to play with in Granny's basement. The big tree in her front yard and the big hill behind her house. I was studying abroad in France the summer Granny passed away.

Austin, my oldest nephew is maybe one year old in this picture. I cannot tell you how I was simply over the moon at being an aunt. He was born the fall of my senior year of high school, and I vividly remember frequently showing my French class pictures of Austin. I would have been a freshman at Winthrop University when this picture was taken. I now have four nephews with 20 years between the oldest nephew and the youngest nephew (and this is because there is a 13-year difference between my oldest and youngest sister).

And as you don't get to pick your family, you don't always get to pick the trials that come your way. It is true that decisions made/behaviors chosen can contribute at times to the difficulty of trials. And each year is bound to give us all some trials. But good things happen throughout each year too. But trials can become stepping-stones and I do hope to take that outlook more and more.

I made an effort to send out Christmas cards this year. And some of these will be New Year's cards or happy January cards. But the ritual of sending Season's Greetings and the technology to do so is changing. As the developed film pictures from the top of this blog page have given way to digital pictures (taken with a cell phone) such us the picture immediately above this paragraph; I feel the sending of Christmas cards is falling out of fashion. What used to make the highlights in a Christmas card letter or note in the 1990's can now be seen on Facebook in most cases. So why send a card? It's so easy to get busy during the holiday season. But this year I did make an effort and hopefully some of my cards have made it to people's homes by now. Below this blog, I will place the text from the letter that was sent out. Maybe next year, they'll be mailed in time to reach everyone prior to Christmas?

Looking forward, I hoping this next year is one of renewed health. No matter how much I love working with data, I sense I gave more than I should have at my previous job role. The hours grew long and late into the night at times. I gave too much of myself to that role. I'm thankful that it didn't take too long to find a new role (read the part below this post for more context). I also hope to slowly rebuild more of a life outside of work - which really got stalled when Covid hit, then back surgery, then crazy job hours. You live and learn and make readjustments. You learn to set new boundaries. And I'm thankful that I currently live in place of relative peace, where no active war is at my doorstep or in my backyard. I have the luxury to be reflective. I'm not afraid of a bomb falling on my bed tonight.

For the past few years, I have picked one word to focus on throughout the year.

• In 2022 - my word was boundary; but I was still adjusting to life after having Cauda Equina Syndrome.

• In 2023 - my word was anchor; this was a nod to my being a Christian; having faith in God as He presented in Jesus in the Bible. At the end of 2023, praise God, I am feeling more anchored to God.

• In 2024 - my word is one. One is a reminder that change is best carried out in small steps. If you try to implement a ton of new things, habits, routines, all at once - it can be quite easy to get overwhelmed. So, focus on one thing at a time. We will see how that goes.

I don't set resolutions. But I do get reflective this time of year. Throughout the busy-ness of the holidays, I also hope you found some time to reflect on the past year. Because ready or not, the clock will strike mid-night and a new year will begin. Happy 2024 everyone!

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Below is the note that I sent out with Christmas cards:

Merry Christmas! And Wishes for a Great New Year!

              Last year, despite any good intentions, Christmas cards didn’t get sent out. And I didn’t want to let another year slip by without sending a Christmas greeting! Year 2023 flew by quickly for me. Like many, I’ve experienced a mix of good and challenging things. And sometimes the challenges have led to good things.

              In late September, a routine blood test revealed that I had significant iron deficient anemia. I managed to dismiss the fatigue due to anemia for other reasons. In the mix of some follow-up appointments, I also lost my job (for reasons I still don’t fully understand). But God had bigger plans!

              God provided some time off from working for me to really get some much-needed rest, and simply exist. I updated my resume and started looking for a new role. I received a message on a professional social networking platform (LinkedIn) from a recruiter looking to build a team to help a well-known bank’s anti-money laundering department. Now, I’m looking forward to starting this new role on December 18th. This is totally a God thing in how this all came about as I would have never even known to look for such a job. Also, it can take 3 to 6 months to fully recover from anemia and by the time I start this job, I will have had 87 days since I started taking iron supplements, which is right at 3 months of rest. God simply amazes me sometimes!!   

              While I’m experiencing a very Merry Christmas season thus far, I know some of my friends will experience Christmas differently this year, due to the loss of friends or loved ones. Whatever your situation, I hope you can find some moments of quiet reflection to slow down and appreciate whatever blessings you’ve been given or be sad if you need to mourn a bit. Another year will soon start, and I do hope it is a year of fun memories, blessings, and kindness to you and your loved ones.