Hi everyone, can you believe 2023 is about to end? I hope everyone had a good Christmas yesterday. My nieces had a visit from Santa with a reasonable amount of gifts under their decked out Christmas tree. This last post is one of reflection over the year that has passed.
Out of all the years I’ve been blogging, this last year has been a tumultuous one for sure. I had some plans to get started on my personal writing projects and maybe think about a permanent living situation. As it is with life, nothing ever goes according to plan. Auckland experienced extreme weather events, at least three huge ones, which impacted infrastructure, businesses, and even the lives of everyday people. The rental property I was staying in wasn’t affected but there were areas that were devastated by flash floods. I don’t think I mentioned it but I was selected for a jury in February and I missed almost four weeks of work due to that unforeseen commitment. I know, you’d think it had stopped at that but no, our whole family tested positive with Covid not long after that in June. We never could have foreseen that dad would pass on either but, his time came after all and he was ready to go.
It’s been just over three months now. Our grief ebbs and flows like the tides that took his ashes away off to sea. It affects all of us differently. There’ll be times when I feel like crying as I drive to work and then when I get home I find out my brother has had a similar experience. I suppose it will take us some time to fully process our grief and get through its many stages. I’m happy to report that I’m actually seeing a therapist of sorts to help me with this too.
Life with my mother in her small house has settled into a routine now. I wave bye to the girls before work and they pop in after school. Some days we all have dinner together, others it’s just mum and me. The girls celebrated their birthdays without our dad and although it was quite sad without him, they remember his gentle smiles and chuckles thanks to the millions of videos my brother has collected. The commute to work is slightly longer but I discovered a rural route that cuts down my time by a good ten minutes!! I’m quite lucky that my team supports me in my recovery and I’m grateful for the amazing manager who’s given me a flexible working arrangement for the time being. I’m looking forward to 2024 when I will be getting a procedure of sorts to help my thumb thanks to the hand specialist that has helped me.
The plans I had made last year to make a start on my own writing projects have been placed on a back burner for now. I thought I’d play it by ear as the new year unfolds. For the time being, I’m looking forward to spending some quality time enjoying the summer holidays with the family. My plans for the blog haven’t changed. I will continue to post to the best of my ability and have been chipping away at my many TBR lists, reading in between all of the life events that have crossed my path. I hope you, my followers will continue to share my journey with me as I explore the many amazing books that are out there.
I hope the new year is a good one for you and your loved ones.
Stay safe and keep reading friends
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 