Evening has come on this last night of 2012 and I am in a contemplative mood, as are many other I suspect. As tumultuous as this year has been, I wouldn't make any changes. Of course there are times when I wish things had worked out differently. But, if things had been easy, things may have stayed hidden.

Little did I know just what I was capable of doing. I have learned so much, about transplants, strokes, therapies, and myself. All of you who have followed this blog, especially this last year, know what I'm talking about.

Bill told a fellow rehab patient that, even if he had known before that he would have all of the complications, he would have made the same decisions. Yes, there are times I wish he had not had the transplant, but those are the days when I'm tired or things have been especially difficult. Sure, the stroke made things more complicated and I sometimes wonder what our lives would now be like if the transplant had gone according to all expectations.

But, we have more years ahead of us due to the transplant, so we'll move into the future optimistic and looking forward to whatever life brings us.

I'm not one to make resolutions since I don't keep them past the first week. But, a friend sent a link to a website that was intriguing. Instead of making a resolution to DO something, this site encourages you to BE. There was a list of words and a worksheet to use and the premise was to pick a word and then use the worksheet to apply the word to your life for the next year. I chose the word FREEDOM. I'm not using the word as most people who live in America would think of it. The first thought I had was the freedom to just be...the freedom to be the person I want to be and not the person I think others want me to be...free to do things on my terms. I can have the freedom to not feel guilty if I'm knitting instead of cleaning out closets. At the same time, I can enjoy freedom IF I clean out the closet because that chore would then be done and it would be a step toward other freedoms. So, this may not work any better than making resolutions, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Since we are now in a new pattern, I think I'm only going to update this weekly now. Of course, during those weekly updates, if it needs to be updated more, such as time for biopsies, I'll update more. I'm planning on updating on Saturday. I know many of you update your church, and I hope you will continue to pray for us. The journey to get the new heart may be over, but a new journey has begun for us. So, check back on Saturday evenings to see what we've been up to.

We've enjoyed the grandchildren this week, and met our soon-to-be grandchildren. Our Christmas was quiet, with snow on Christmas night. It's all gone now and we have rain, but the house is warm with the fireplace.

My wish for all of you for the new year is for health, happiness, and the FREEDOM to enjoy whatever your days may hold. Things don't have to be perfect for you to find joy. I've learned to look for a blessing in every situation. Sometimes this seemed to be impossible, but if you wait for it, it will be shown to you.

To all of you who have commented on these posts, to give encouragement or advice, or just knowing that you're interested in our lives, thank you. You have made this past year more bearable, knowing that you were with us on this journey. I love all of you! Happy New Year!