Leah's High and Low of 2011

I am just now reflecting on 2011. Yes, I realize you all did this over a week ago, but I am just doing it now. I thought I would do a quick "high and low" version of 2011, which is hard because it means I have to pick just one high and low. The low was easy. However, there are too many highs to pick from really: my family's continued health, the impact of several people's lives on ours, and on and on! But I picked one that may surprise you. :) So here we go!:

LOW:
*There was only one big low for our family in 2011: the M-Word. I got pregnant in 2011 like I hoped, but obviously I am not having a baby at the end of this month like I had hoped. Then there was the whole thyroid roller-coaster that followed for five months straight. I feel better now, but I am still crazy over it. I will carry the emotional scars with me into 2012 and beyond.

HIGH:
*This may surprise you: the appreciation of stuff. This past year we got a new: TV, dishwasher, computer, room built in our basement, trip to El Salvador, minivan, floor in our mudroom, iPad, cookware, sewing machine, Silhouette, AND (not really things but new nonetheless) I also got two more kids to babysit. Plus we also got a new-to-us microwave, refrigerator, and stove/double oven. For us that's an overwhelming amount of stuff to get all in just one year.

Stuff isn't necessary for a fulfilling life, but when I step back and look at it all as a whole like that I can realize what a privilege and a blessing it is to have it all. Some of it (like the babysitting kids and the appliances) were direct answers to my prayers for help. Most of it I didn't even ask for from God or expect to get, but it's here anyway. I am humbled and thankful for all of it like I have never been before. I get to feel like I am truly taken care of at the end of a year where the tragedy of my above-mentioned low could have sent me spiraling back into depression. Humility instead of anger. Overwhelming gratefulness instead of debilitating sadness. A totally unexpected high.

Until next time . . .