New Year, Resolutions, and New President

Welcome, 2017!
I may not be where I had envisioned myself being at this time of my life, but I am feeling extremely blessed! This has been a very long journey. For those of you who experience clinical depression, you will understand that this has been a difficult climb out of the depths.
Beginning of a new year: time to take stock! Look over the past year's accomplishments, setbacks, and journeys. And, this has been both a physical and emotional journey for a very long time.

My son-in-law and oldest daughter have created a safe haven in their home for me. (It has been a very long time since I have truly had a "safe space" dating back to when my world toppled). I get up in the morning without experiencing anxiety/panic regarding the day to come, my depression valleys aren't as deep or as long, and I can feel that I am gaining strength once again. I am surrounded by love: hugs and kisses abound from the littles. I have been blessed by having been able to spend time with all of my girls and their families throughout this year and look forward to many more adventures to come!

I am still working on learning how to read and write in Korean. My vocabulary level is that of a toddler - without having the grammar skills. How can I address that this next year? I have discovered that there is a Korean Catholic church not too far from here that has services in Korean on Thursday evenings. Once I feel a bit more comfortable about journeying forth in the evenings, I will seek it out. In the meantime, I will continue to work on my own with my books and my CDs - including continuing to enjoy all of "my" K-dramas and K-pop. I am truly hoping to journey to K-Con this summer!

I have been given the opportunity to either remain as an oblate novice attached to St. Meinrad's or to reach out to a nearby abbey. Soon, I will reach out to Portsmouth Abbey to discover what their program would entail. It should either be there or Glastonbury but the family has ties to Portsmouth so that makes the most sense to me. In addition, I am assisting my eldest by volunteering as the 6th grade religious ed. teacher this school year - this is a learning experience for myself as well - delving into topics which is allowing me to explore theology and apologetics even deeper.

And, I have joined the local DAR. Onwards to spending more time this year becoming involved with that organization and learning much more about my genealogy! I was gifted with the AncestryDNA kit so I am looking forward to discovering those results. I am also looking forward to planning journeys to ancestral areas and cemeteries that are located all over this state.

So, what are my feelings about the inauguration of this new President? I didn't vote for him, I certainly would never have wanted the Democratic candidate in office, and I actually supported a third party candidate for the first time in my life. People are organizing demonstrations to rebel against his inauguration but I just keep thinking back on how I have cried over this outgoing President's policies and actions for the past 8 years (spent a lot of extra time in the confessional and on my knees in prayer because of him) and I actually am looking forward to a "new" regime.  The left has gone so far to the left that I am honestly wondering if the end of the world will be coming soon. Or, will we have years of violence and unrest, as we are seeing all around the globe?

I am hopeful that better days are coming, that I will accomplish all of my goals, and that I will have many, many more delightful years to come with my girls and their families.  Welcome, 2017!