Merry Merry :)

What a difference a day makes...
I had lunch with a dear friend last week, and was busy enumerating all the many reasons this would be an awful Christmas for me (see previous post, if you must). He - very kindly, mind you - interrupted my pity party to offer a shift in perspective. A much-needed one.
His suggestion was along the lines of this: I should welcome this lonely Christmas Eve as an opportunity to celebrate the difficult & invaluable (yet rather expensive!) gift I've given myself this year: the gift of independence. Of standing (or falling) on my own two feet. Of having no one to answer to, no one to blame. Of freedom.
And he's absolutely right. What a year its been. I spent the whole of it struggling with a gut-wrenching decision that would not only change my life, but those of my husband, our children, our extended families and even our friends. An entire year in flux - at work, at home. Unsettled. Until finally I made my choice. And bore down to ride out the consequences.
And you know what? I should celebrate that. It was brave, and honest. And I deserve it.
So, now I'd like to enumerate the many things I'm grateful for this Christmas:

I truly appreciate each and every moment I get to spend with my children, even the tedious ones.

I have an amazing job in which I am the only obstacle standing between me and success.

I have the opportunity to model for both of my children what a strong, independent woman can accomplish on her own.

I answer to...me.

I can try to help my husband - for whom I care very much and wish nothing but good things - adapt to these changes and find his own way to gratitude & happiness.

I have an amazingly intelligent and sensitive son, and he is responding well to having less tension in his homelife.

I have wonderful friends. They offer love, encouragement & support - not pity.

I can provide a home, food, clothing & humble amusement for my children - which in itself makes me 1 in 100 people in this world of ours.

I work with the most supportive & helpful coworkers I ever have.

I love poetry, appreciate the beauty it brings to my life daily, and can instill this appreciation in my children.

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I am 5 minutes from the woods but can visit any of 3 major cities as a day trip. I am free from worry about earthquakes, tornados, hurricaines, monsoons, what have you.

I can literally free my daughter from pain with nothing but a kiss. Because she believes in me that much.

I'm confident its going to be an amazing year.