Looking back at 2013

As I sit here and look back at 2013; I can’t believe how much can happen in just 12 months.  Wow, this year is almost over and Christmas come and gone.  Maybe it’s just me, but it didn’t seem like Christmas at all to me. I had a tree with lots of presents, I had my house all decorated, I watched every single Christmas movie that the Hallmark channel showed, and I even had Santa hats that I made my dogs (Maggie & Bailey) wear for a Merry Christmas photo…I’m pretty sure Maggie is still mad at me for that (lol); but it just hasn’t seemed like Christmas. 

I’m happy to say that Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee has come a long way since we filled out paperwork to become a non-profit back in April.  It's amazing how much has been accomplished in this short amount of time.  Wishes have been granted for 3 kids (Ben, Corey, & Noah) and I have more kids that are waiting for their special wish to come true.  My friend Kelly has been a tremendous help along with some very special sponsors and donors.  We've had some really fun events and made some wonderful partnerships with sponsors.  I’ve received such great support from my family and friends and I can’t thank you enough. It really means a lot to me to be able to continue my passion of helping make wishes come true for children who are battling a life-threatening illness, especially when it’s something they are going through for the 2^nd 3^rd or even 4^th time. I’m really looking forward to 2014 and being able to grant more wishes and bring more smiles to these kids’ faces.  If you’re not doing so already, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can read about the great things we are doing.    

 

 

The first 9 months of 2013 were predominately spent enjoying time with my grandma, aka Big Mama.  We spent many days going to doctor appointments and even a few weeks over her last 9 months in the hospital but I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed my time spent with her. We did a lot of fun stuff.  I remember one day she woke up saying she wanted to go clothes shopping; I was so surprised. That was something I don’t EVER recall her saying.  Of course she wanted to go to K Mart (which I hate) but she really enjoyed buying clothes for herself that day.  I think we left K Mart with 4 or 5 pairs of pants and at least that many tops.  A lot of you knew her, so you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say this is not normal for her.  Her typical shopping consisted of a day at the Bethesda Center, a thrift shop where she volunteered.  Her payment for volunteering for the day was being able to bring home a trash bag FULL of stuff that she didn’t need. That made her sooo happy but made me sooo crazy!  Sometimes she would bring home the craziest items, like baby clothes….and not one single person in the family had a baby that could wear these clothes but she needed to make sure that trash bag was filled to get the full benefit of her volunteer payment.    

Back in August I took her for her very first pedicure.  83-years old and she had NEVER experience a pedicure!  She was so proud of her pink toes.  We started talking about shoes that day.  She told me that growing up, her daddy never allowed her have a pair of shoes that showed her toes; my new mission was to get her a pair of sandals, which we did.  The day she passed away her little toes were still partially painted pink.  I had been telling her that I would paint her fingernails and with her getting sick so suddenly I never got around to it.  My sister helped me paint them just before they came to take her away to the funeral home.  I don’t know why but thinking about her with her painted nails makes me smile. 

For 40+ years my family had spent Christmas Eve at my grandma’s house enjoying her “country cooking”.  This was the one time of the year that everyone would get together for dinner and then sit around by the Christmas tree opening presents and spending time together.  This year was the first time that we’ve broken that tradition.  Everyone wasn’t together and we didn’t spend Christmas Eve at my grandma’s house.  I know it had to happen eventually; but it makes me sad to think that we will never ever be able have the opportunity to spend the holidays at my grandparents’ house again.  Looking back at last year I would have never dreamed that we were spending our last Christmas together.  I should know better than most that tomorrow isn’t promised to us and that we should enjoy each day as if it is our last day together.  Easier said than done huh? This is one thing that I want to work on for for myself in 2014.  I want to stop worrying about tomorrow and live for today. I want less drama in my life and I want to enjoy my family more. There are so many things that I’ve not done in life that I still want to do, hopefully I will get some of those things accomplished this upcoming year. 

If I could have one wish for each of you, I would wish for you to spend time with your loved ones and cherish every moment.  After all, isn’t that what’s most important in life?  I hate hearing people say they haven’t spoken to a parent or sibling in years due to a disagreement.  Because for me, I would give anything to spend one moment with my family but I don’t have that choice because they are in heaven.  I hope that you let the ones you love know that you love them.  We are all going to die one day; we don’t get much say as to how or when….but we do get to decide how we are going to live our lives.  Are you living the life that you want to live?  Are you with the person you want to love?  Are you being the best that you can be?  Can you be kinder, stronger or even more compassionate to others?  We should all expect less from others and more from ourselves.   Just something to think about.

Winston Churchill said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” 

I hope you and your family have a safe and Happy New Year!