Year of the Ant and the Grasshopper

New Year's Eve seems to be a day when many of us just naturally look back on the year past and reflect, and then look forward to what the new year will bring. 2007 has been, for me, a year of transition. When my mom slipped through the veil between this earth life and a heavenly one last New Year's Eve, I knew I'd miss her very much. What I didn't know was exactly how that transition would affect our lives.

I still miss her very much. Her legacy and strength live on, and I continue learning life lessons from her example. I have also learned this year that it's okay for me NOT to be my mom. We are two very different women, each with strengths to be maximized and weaknesses to learn from or overcome.

Not long after we were married, Woody's mom, MY bonus Mom, gave me a little book called "Reflections from a Grasshopper." Reading it was an epiphany. Reflecting on 2007 has reminded me of the lesson I learned from that little tome. The world needs both ants and grasshoppers. I am a grasshopper. My mom was an ant. We each have things to offer our family, friends, and the rest of the world, and also things we need to learn from each other.

To have the House of Order that I crave, I need to put more focus on Mom's ant-like constancy. To continue to encourage the love of learning that we are fostering in our girls, I need to allow the grasshopper in me to flourish without guilt. I think the combination will allow both goals to be accomplished.

I'm praying that the lesson I've learned about moderation as I reach for better physical health will give me strength - strength to be as productive as an ant when I need to be, and strength to allow my grasshopper tendencies to be used to bless the lives of those I love.

I don't know what animal the Chinese say this is the year of, but for me, 2008 is the Year of the Ant AND the Grasshopper.