Marriage and an Unexpected Gift

I got married 39 years ago - or so I thought. I mean, we had a ceremony. People came to witness the marriage and I even went on a honeymoon, a trip to Las Vegas. But a little over a year ago My mom called to ask me if I had a copy of my marriage license. Why on earth would she asking me this question? My dad performed our ceremony and on the day of the wedding had in his possession the license which needed to be mailed back to the county. Instead in the wedding chaos, the license got put on a shelf in my parent’s house...for 38 years.  How had this happened?

For Christmas my sister decided to help me finalize my marriage. She called the county where we had initially applied for our license and the clerk did find our records. She then tracked down three people who attended our wedding to get sworn statements which then had to be notarized. Then she went to the local library to pull the microfilm to get a copy of my wedding announcement and my dad’s obituary since he is deceased and would not be present to validate documents.

For Christmas I got a gift bag that said, “sealed with a kiss”. Inside the bag I found champagne glasses, bubbles and a packet with a poem, paperwork and instructions to follow at the courthouse. I would finally get my marriage license!

Yesterday, we finalized our marriage paperwork! Congratulations to the happy couple!

Visioning, Looking Ahead and Positivity

It can be hard to set goals for the future without looking in the rear view mirror to reflect on the previous year. In general 2018 was an amazing year, but the year also presented its challenges. We had a very special highlight which was the birth of our grandson - and he is a cutie! There have been so many days this fall when I have been comforted by lots of snuggles and cuddles at the end of a stressful day. I give thanks for him every day. 

This little guy is our sweetheart.

I am also so grateful for some amazing travel experiences in 2018 too. Egypt, several different cities in Mexico, Norway, Guatemala, a weekend at a monastery (so powerful and much needed) and Yellowstone! 

We also had another year of good health and much happiness. I'm so grateful for these and many more gifts. Work and life both seem to get busier by the day and the demands can sometimes be overwhelming. Being able to slow down to spend time with family and friends and do some traveling helped me feel balanced and connected to life and the world outside of work.

                                                                             

At one particular low-point in the summer I cheered myself up by organizing a visioning party. The small gathering brought together a few women, most of whom did not know one another.  But this group consisted of working professionals who do extraordinary work in our local community. At the first party we came together to focus on one action that each of us could take that would make a difference. We made a vision board illustrating the action we planned to take post-party, then shared out thoughts behind our personal goal and quickly decided that our group needed to continue to meet. It seems that I was not the only one feeling a bit overwhelmed by busy days and and life demands.

In October we met again, this time we joined together to write letters to acquaintances, friends and family, encouraging them to get out and vote. It was powerful to sit together with a group of women and write letters.  Now we are now planning our next gathering and I'm so excited about our next visioning exercise! It is going to be an inspiration swap. Participants can bring a book, calendar or other item that inspires for an exchange. 

It has been wonderful to connect with a small, multi-generational group of women who want to focus on growing personally while focusing on things we can do individually to help others. I was also fortunate to be able to participate in a self-care party and I am hoping this becomes a regular habit too!   

In the past I've tried making resolutions - plural, or even just one resolution, but whatever I come up with always gets buried up with busy days and other priorities. My annual vision boards help me personally and I love putting them together but the women's vision group helps keep me on track and reminds me to focus on me personally doing something for the good of the community and beyond.

No matter how you start your new year I hope you are able to look ahead with positivity and joy.