Goodbye 2011

Dear God,

This year has been a little bit of everything! All in all, it has been an amazing year. I’m so grateful for all that you’ve given me this year. Thank you for every lesson learned, friendships, for the loved ones lost-- who hold a special place in my heart, the loved ones gained--who are teaching me things about life that I never knew, new experiences, newfound wisdom, adventures, heartache, and every kind of pain.

This year, I learned the VALUE of life; it is so precious and it’s easy to just let it slip away.  I had to learn that the hard way, though.  Looking back, maybe it was the best way, because that experience opened my eyes. In the midst of  almost loosing it all, I realized all that I have. The people that you’ve given me, who loved me through all of that are true angels.  I’m so grateful to call them friends.  I don’t know what I was doing before, but I’m definitely living now… and savoring every moment)!

This summer began a new journey in my life that I will simply call… LOVE.  I’m experiencing the love that I always dreamed about.  It’s the kind of love, as one of my friends so eloquently put it, “that you can’t stop singing about.” I’ve never felt so love by one person.  I never knew what love looked like, until I looked into his eyes. It is an amazing feeling!  Sure, it’s not always rainbows, roses, wispy clouds, and wind in my hair… but it’s ALL worth it.

This year I grew a lot more spiritually, once I realized that life isn’t about being one extreme or the other.  I’m learning to embrace the good with the bad, not JUST because it’s bound to happen, but because you really can’t have one without the other.  It’s all about balance.  How can you appreciate where you’ve come from if you’re never FORCED to move? Money, if you always have it? Food, if you’re never hungry? Friends, if you never lose one or two?  This year, I learned to appreciate each circumstance whether it leaves me jumping for joy or weak with pain. (ßPhilippians 4:11-13 taught me more than I could ever imagine).  This year, I think, was about letting go for me. I was holding on to so many people, hopes, and dreams that I HAD to let go of this year.  In my letting go, I was given bigger, better, more amazing things to embrace!

This year I finally made it back to school, with a 4.0 GPA to end the semester and now I am 3 more credit hours away from my goal(I‘ll be done in May 2012)!  I ran a 5K--which turned about to be about 6 miles or so LOL!  I inspired people to stop breathing and LIVE! I went on vacation… FIVE TIMES! I celebrated my birthday with two of the best girls in the WORLD! I said goodbye to an old friend. I pulled a child’s tooth!  I climbed a mushroom! I became The TOO (finally)! I was celebrated for a whole week (Ms. Shanika Appreciation Week)! I rode a horse & carriage! I shared my favorite place with a very special friend! Barack Obama came to NC and I went to see him! I stayed at a B&B! I hiked in the woods AND up a mountain! I even became a “dog owner,” if you can believe that!  I went to a National Park… in MY home state!  I made Christmas presents and everybody LOVED them! Man, this year was awesome and next year will be even MORE amazing, thank you God for all of it!

Your’s Always,
Shanika