Monday's Musings: Ready for A Fresh Start in 2016?

by Mary Denman     @MaryDenman

I'm so glad a new year has dawned. 

I'm ready for a fresh start.

While the hardest year of my life by far was 2013, 2015 was a bit challenging as well. 

We started 2015 with my daughter having double knee surgery in February to deal with the long-standing pain in her knees. Instead of getting better, they got significantly worse. After months of suffering, her doctor finally referred her to another specialist. 

Then we got a Dr. who was able to understand the underlying issue and give us a diagnosis that dealt with the problem. Her knee caps weren't aligned properly. So, we scheduled her next two surgeries for October and December of 2015. 

Hubby had shoulder surgery in between hers in November. (They're both doing well and recovering nicely.) 

So why am I glad to see 2015 go and 2016 start?

Because it feels like a fresh start to me. A chance to take a breath and get excited about life again. 

Monday's Musings - His Mercies Never End

by Mary Denman

Last May, I went through one of the hardest times of my life. I lost my beloved mother unexpectedly. 

Two days after the funeral, my husband was supposed to leave with our youngest son to go to marine camp for a few days. The timing was difficult. But I chose to let them go. I didn't want my grief and sorrow to stop my son from going on a trip he had looked forward to for months. So off they went. 

I was having trouble sleeping. I was grappling with the fact that my mom was gone. It was lonely not to have my husband there, to have his shoulder to cry on.