Bygones and New Year Resolutions.

It comes without saying that another year has past. Unless, you're some sort of person who relies on something other than traditional time keeping, I'm saying nothing new. And of course everyone will be saying how fast the year had come and has now gone. The speed of the past year is relative and to a child waiting on Christmas morning, it would have seem like forever, whereas other (ahem) older folks would be spinning thinking, "Are you serious? Is it Santa time again?" "I've only just paid off last year's credit card bills!"

The year two thousand eleven bought its own unique events, trials, joys, experiences and sorrows. Each year leaves a stamp on your heart and lives and this year was certainly no exception. For the most part, everyone stayed safe and I was able to witness how well my arm would fare when my entire bodily weight would fall on it. Excruciating pain, varying types of narcotics, a fifteen thousand dollar surgery, one neon green cast later traded for a bright pink cast and a number of hand therapy sessions would relate to me exactly how my arm would fare......... not so good.

Have I attempted any of my resolutions I made at the beginning of the year? I didn't make any. Refer to my post....... http://shaeeza.blogspot.com/2011/05/bad.html.

Things have certainly improved since then and all those events have actually made us stronger and closer as a family unit. Many have said that it takes tragedy to bring people together and many times over it has been proven correct.

Will I make new year's resolutions this time around? Hard to say. A resolution I once made was "I'm never doing this year again". I don't think that applies to this year. For despite its many extreme downs, it has been one of the more rewarding years in a long time. The highs of this year were rewarding and brought new hope each time. Many of the lessons learnt this year will forever stay with my family and I.

Instead of making resolutions, I will instead try to cross things off my bucket list and live each day for what it is. A gift to spend with loved ones and a way to get my dreams. My biggest dream? To have an agent. To be published. To see my books in scholastic book clubs. One day......

For now, it's saying so long to the year two thousand eleven and recall fondly the many happy, loving, trying and challenging days it brought us all.

Bygones.

Brothers

This has been on my mind for a long time - brothers.
I just have one brother and every corny and/or inspirational quote circling in cyber space cannot effectively convey the love for brothers.

My four daughters have just one brother also and as much as they tease him and at times make him feel alienated, they love him to pieces and would give their lives for him willingly.

I remember the day my brother was born as if it were yesterday. My dad came home from the hospital that Friday and announced to us that our mom had a baby boy. To say the least, my soon about to be ten year old self was dumbfounded.
 A BOY!?!

My dad was known for his joking around with us girls and I was very skeptical at hearing what he was saying to us three girls. A boy?? No he was definitely joking. That baby was a girl, my mom had  a girl. We wanted another sister. What could we do with a boy? We had enough boy cousins around. We didn't need  boy to play with, we needed a girl.

 In the days after, everybody seemed to go a long with my dad, smiling and saying we had a brother. Seven years after her last baby, my mom came home from the hospital and sure enough she was carrying a brand new baby boy. I don't think we were too happy at the fact it was a boy. We were just excited that we had our very own baby to play with. And what a cutie he was!!

As my brother grew from a pampered baby to a cute toddler, he was often times subjected to many occasions when his three older sisters tried to fulfill their need to have a living doll to dress up. Yes, we dressed him up like a doll and boy did we get yelled at. But he soon learnt to run in the opposite direction when we came at him with frilly clothes and lipstick. And run he did, he stayed outside our house since to be in the house with three sisters would be a fate worse than death.

For those of you who have read my blog, you know that my extended family is quite large and mainly populated with females. At family gatherings, my brother would longingly and hopefully watch the door open, waiting to catch a glimpse of another boy coming in. I distinctly remember his exasperation at seeing only girls coming and him declaring in disgust, "Another girl!!" before stalking back outside the house.

When he was eleven, I got married and left for New York soon after. I did not get a chance to see him grow into adulthood. But was pleased every time to get reports of how he was doing.

My brother became the uncle to five boys and they all consider him the "cool uncle" as he was able to empathize and guide them as need be. All my nephews were often over at his house for boy weekends of just boy stuff happening. Video games, monster truck rallies, cricket games, movie night, car racing, motor cycling, fishing, boating and other boy important things that we girls think beneath us. (Well, sometimes).

Now my brother is an adult, a self sufficient, societal contributing member and a friend. Although, I am the oldest of our family, there are many times, where I have dialed his number and just said, "I need to talk", and he'd make the time for me. He has advised me and counselled me and helped me through some rough patches and I know he'll still continue to do so with each of his three older sisters.

My brother has been married for more than five years now, and will be adding to our family as I have often referred to him as untapped resource. I pray and hope the very best for his little family and I know he'll do extremely well as he has shown with his ability as a son, uncle and a brother.

Brothers................unmatched love.