The Past Year...........

......Okay, so a little yearly summery.....

Wowzer....what a year 2011 has been....and not in a particularly great way either. To be honest, I am SOOOOOOOOO glad to see the back of it. Tonight, I will be shaking off the coat that is 2011 and putting it firmly in the bin. I shall then be putting on a brand spanking new one with the hopes that it won't get as battered as the last one in the coming year. I really do hope that 2012 brings a little bit of brightness and hope with it. I am sure many of you reading this will be nodding your head to the last statement too!

It has been a difficult one for so many this past year, for a whole variety of reasons. It seemed natural disasters seemed to strike the world left, right and centre in the beginning months. Complete and utter devastation for many. To watch the news was difficult, so to imagine what it was like to be right there in the midst of it was horrendous. Tsunami's, flash floods, land slides, earthquakes, tornados. The precious Earth seems to have been battered from all sides this year.

War, violence and riots too.........so much pain.

And just to add to it all (as if that wasn't enough already), the global economic recession that we all seem to be caught up in at the moment has hit so many very hard and made it such a tough year. The loss of loved ones, young or old............it all seems to take it's toll.

I'm sure that if you've not been directly hit by any of these things, then you know a friend or family member who has.

If I think back on what this year has been like for me, I would say mainly worry. Family ill health has been a major worry this year for me. Ill health with several family members has taken its toll on us all...and as many regular readers will know, several months ago we lost a very dear young family member to Cancer, which completely devastated us all.

Now, this year has not been fab, and quite possibly, overall, really pants.......but......I don't want it all to be all doom and gloom. For every dark grey cloud in the sky, there is always sunshine behind it trying to get through! I have had a year of crafting and making things, that brought pure sunshine into my life. I have the priviledge of having some absolutely wonderful people in my life who are there for me whenever I need them......and, I have had a year with 4 males who have brought laughter to my heart and made me glad I am who I am. 

........ so as I kiss my Bears each night, I am thankful that I have them in this world. They make my life, all so worth while and make the lights inside me burn incredibly brightly. ♥

So, I hope that 2012 shines a little bit brighter for us all.

I wish each and every one of you

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!


xxx