Happy New Year...

To all of you and especially to those of you encountered loss in one or more forms - Job, Love, Money, Wisdom (what! sometimes we get stupider as time goes by!), Security, Health and umpteen others ... and yet emerged on the other side with hope in their heart and faith that the future will bring good things your way.

Have a great new year.

May hope stay alive, and may we all be blessed with reason to believe that everything happens for the best.
May prayers be answered and sincere efforts bear fruit.
May we all discover what makes us happy and find the courage to pursue it.
May we don new roles and fulfill both old and new ones with grace.
May we discover the joy of having what we have vs. drowning in the sorrow of what we don't.


And as a (one time, mind you) departure from my usual whining, I say thanks for all of the following:

For being alive and insured (eczema, allergies, spondilitis and a broken tooth contributed to a hefty medical bill this year. I have new found respect and love for insurance)

For friends: who love me despite months of not being in touch (V, Nuts, S, Mgb), for being a pain in the ass whiner when I do get in touch (V, Nuts, Rk) who love me despite my flaws and tell me so. For those who are a hop skip and jump away when the need for conversation and bonding arises (N, Spunks, AR)

For family: that gives much and expects little, and never makes me feel like a lesser person for it. For parents who demonstrate the willingness and ability to make the transition into a new way of being with us kids. For a brother who looks up to me and adores me beyond reason.

For the special ones: For the Penguin who through all our rifts and not so fond revelations in this year has always been there. For P who never tires of the stories and of telling me the things that light up my heart and soul. For their ability to make all the bad days and sucky moments pale into insignificance. Again and again.

For work: That through the people I work with, sometimes endows a feeling of being capable. That even on the days that is not inspiring, is still keeping the mind alive and kicking AND paying the bills, bless its soul.

For a lovely home: That includes in the package super duper nice flatmates and the lovely A who makes coming home worth looking forward to in the evenings with what she puts on the dinner table. That is a 10 minute walk from work and comes with conveniences like supermarkets, transport hubs and long winding roads for runs/ walks in the vicinty.

For everything that there is to look forward to in the coming months, even the uncertainties that will undoubtedly teach a new set of lessons and help build character. And certainly so for the YAY! inducing events that are about to occur ...

Happy 2009 everyone! May we all have reason not only to smile, but to grin, laugh and dance from utter and giddy happiness this year :)