Completing and Remembering 2022

A tradition is defined loosely defined as a custom passed on from generation to generation.  Posting a blog each year might not live up to the real intent of a tradition, yet ever since I was gifted this exercise somewhere along the road of my own development, sharing it has become a mental moment of pause for me.  As I think about whether or not to share again this year, I actually begin to think about all that has gone on since January, take a deep breath, and begin to wonder what the next year will hold.  That is the tradition I want to pass along to you. This year I have ordered the questions a bit differently.  I looked at them and put them in an order that mattered to me.  Feel free to do the same.  Some of my answers are at the bottom.  Please share some of yours. Remembering and Completing 2022 What one word best sums up and describes your 2022 experience? What was the most loving service you performed in 2022? What important relationship improved in the most in 2022? What compliment would you liked to have given 2022? Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life in 2022? What was the biggest risk you took in 2022? What was your biggest triumph of 2022? What was the smartest decision you made in 2022? What was the greatest lesson you learned in 2022? What is your biggest piece of unfinished business in 2022? What was the biggest surprise in 2022? What compliment would you liked to have received in 2022? What else do you need to do or say to be complete as you begin 2023?

What one word sums up 2022 for me?  Tired.  Next…Just thinking about one act of service brings me joy.  I have a friend, Marian Burger, who is 95.  She is a devout Catholic.  She usually watches Sunday Mass on television.  When she shared that, I suggested that when time permits, I would take her Mass.  The first time I took her, and she received communion, she burst out in tears of joy.  Remembering that moment has inspired me to find the time more often (although I will admit I have failed the last few months miserably — but of course, I have a good excuse).

The most important relationship that has improved is with Richard.  I have watched him traverse six of months of medical challenges, and as much as I want to beat him silly some days, he has kept trying to get better.  So many plans had to change, so many dreams deferred, yet he persevered.  Bonus:  He is closer to being on the mend than he was just four weeks ago.

What compliment would I have liked to give?  There are a few, actually.  To my bonus son, Eric Goeglein, and our daughter-in-law Beth, I appreciate how much you offer to help, help, and want to help.  To daughter Dana, your willingness to expand your life with world travel with an infant and walk away from the life you had to discover the next part of life you want to create, has me in awe.  For the record, I am not that brave!

Then just one last one I will share.  My biggest triumph of 2022?  I took a shot and put in an application for a job I wanted.  It was more than just a job, but was a part of how I thought I wanted to contribute for the next ten years.  It was big for me.  The outcome? I never made it beyond the algorithm to even a call.  I consider this my biggest triumph for many reasons.  It was such a triumph to review my background, think about the future, and see a new opportunity I had not had on the radar just 12 months before.

Triumphs come in many packages.  Remember, as you complete your list, to look in the most unlikely places for your answers.  Many blessings for 2023 and beyond.