The Year 2010

The year 2010, was a year of mixed blessings. Some wonderfully good things occurred, and some terribly bad things occurred. With both happy and sad events, I hope that I have grown in my personal life and in my faith life.

The beginning of 2010 was a turning point in my step dad's long battle with brain cancer. The last couple of months of 2009,  he struggled to endure his chemo treatments. The new year came and he became unable to sit up for very long, or feed himself, or bathe, or anything. His speech was nearly completely gone. Early in January, an MRI showed that his brain tumor had grown back and doubled in size. His oncologist halted all treatment. Shortly before his birthday, Hospice had to be called in. The day before Easter, he lost his battle with cancer. This was one of the saddest events of my life, but watching him suffer and struggle was worse. At least now, we knew he was at peace.

With profound sadness, also comes ecstatic happiness. Late summer, we found out my daughter Amber and her husband, Chris, were expecting their first child. My first grandchild. The circle of life continues. We just celebrated the upcoming birth of Greyson by having a couple of family/friend showers and now are eagerly awaiting for his arrival!

My former mother-in-law and good friend, Mary Mahaffey, suffered through-out 2010 with her battle with C.O.P.D. and complications from diabetes and a host of other ailments. She spent a great part of the year in either the hospital or personal care homes. She came close to death several times. But her faith in God sustains her, and she is determined to stay alive until she can meet her great-grandson. She came home a couple of days before Christmas, and was able to stay home until just this week. It was a big accomplishment for her.

This year, my daughter Jessica, graduated from Georgia Perimeter College with an associates degree in the pre-med track (science degree). She had been accepted by Georgia Gwinnett College, but decided to apply at UGA also, more or less 'just to see what might happen'. She was accepted at UGA and is now in her third semester there. When she graduates with a bachelor's degree in science, she can then go on to medical school. She is looking at several different schools in Georgia and is beginning to think about the tests you must pass to be considered for acceptance into those schools. I am so proud of her!

So many ups and downs in 2010. My husband lost one of his best friends to a heart attack. My cousin's husband graduated from college to be a school teacher...at the age of 39! I began planning my first cruise. . Jessica's fiance is a U.S. Marine, stationed in Afghanistan. My mom learned to live alone, for the first time in her life, at the age of 72 when my step dad died. I finally got hired as a full time, benefited employee where I had been working as a temp for over a year. 

What will 2011 bring? I know. More happiness. More sadness. I can only hope that the experiences I face will help me to grow personally and faithfully.