Amelia: Tis the Season

Tis the season....of old traditions and new beginnings. This season has been filled with many events. I have attached holiday pictures of Amelia and our family (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.)

Tis the season for old traditions. During the holidays, we reflect on our lives, practice our traditions, and sometimes long for the old days. One of our traditions is holiday decorating. Decorating for the holidays was passed down from my Grandma Lemke and my mother to me. I decorate even for Valentine's day. One funny story about decorating comes from my sister-in-law Melissa. She thought a decoration in my bathroom was for Groundhog Day. It actually was just my winter cabin décor, but I do celebrate almost everything. We went 'old school' over the break and let the kids watch all the Star Wars movies at Augusta Papa's house. We took them to see the new Star Wars movie in the theater to top it off. The girls had their annual daddy daughter dance at school and
mother daughter Nutcracker outing. Reflection is always a part of the season. My friends had tough times this year. In my job, I encountered more stories of heartache via the journey of families with HOH/Deaf children. Personally, I am ready to put the year behind me. My first post in 2015 was titled, "2015..coming in mean." Amelia and I both started the year with health scares. Things are better, but it was rough. Things are still not fully understood, but manageable. Out with the old. In with the new.

Tis the season for new beginnings. One of our biggest changes this year was the addition of two new puppies, brothers Hairy & Blue. They are Plott Hound mix rescues. My next blog post is going to be all about the dogs so I will tell more later. One new thing we did this season was ice skating in Atlantic Station. It was beautiful to see the city skyline at sunset while skating. I hope it will become a new tradition. The new year came in more quietly this year. As a family we discussed our New Year Resolutions. Everybody says lose weight, be less stressed , get a new job, find love, but I think sometimes the ones we don't say out loud are the real resolutions. As we move forward to new beginnings and as we end this season of celebration, tis the year to remember the 3 P's or so I will call it.

Pain- Don't diminish it. I have been following a writer who talks about society wanting us to push things under the rug, get over it, and move on. Although we don't need to wallow or be swallowed by pain we must acknowledge it. Pain will always scar you, follow you, and shape you. Don't diminish your pain. Seek help if you need it.
Process- Realize it. It takes time to get lost. It takes time to be found. It is a process, and by "it" I mean life. Realize things take time and work.
Perspective- Keep it. I know people get tired of me saying this, but keep perspective this year. When you are in the dark think of light, and when you are in the light remember the dark. Keep perspective.

Happy New Year 2016-Tis the season for the old and the new. Tis the year for pain, process, and perspective. -Scarlett Giles