Here Comes the New Year....

Even though I live in South Africa, the recession hit us here too. My husband lost his job and for the first time in my life, I'm the Primary breadwinner. I'm grateful for my job, but would rather be a SAHM!! I'm hoping that the business my husband has started with my brother will become successful enough for me to be able to stop working full-time. You see, I suffer from Fybromyalgia and a full-time job is really tough on my body! In fact, the only other people with Fibromyalgia I've met, don't work at all. Having said that, I'm extremely grateful for my wonderful family and extremely proud of my children. I know how blessed I am to have a home and a car and a job to go to (no matter how tough). I wish everyone a Peaceful Festive Season and a Prosperous 2011! :)

Thank you for sharing your story. I had a similar year but not with health but finances. We are finally on the road that we need to be and for anyone out there, please do not do like we did and rack up debt. It took my old company filing bankrupcty, me loosing my job for us to wake up and take stock. This year has strengthed my faith and relationship with God as without him and his support I don't know how I would have survived. It has also strengthened our family.

For 2011, I want to continue to work on growing my home business by helping others with health and finance. Continue in growing my relationship with God.

Merry Christmas to all on Mamapedia. I really love all the advice when I've posted questions -- just so many awesome people.

December 2009 and the entire first three months of 2010 are a haze for me... we lost our two year old nephew just after Thanksgiving and our whole family was essentially numb through Easter. During that time my husband and I decided that it was time to make a significant change in my career, resulting in me jumping into a new role (and a hefty commute), but the work is more satisfying than I thought it would be. Just after Labor Day we were rocked again when a childhood friend of mine was diagnosed with Melanoma and died within a few days of Thanksgiving, leaving behind a toddler and loving husband. We were able to talk and spend time together before she died and I will not regret the three hour drive on the weekends to see her. That time was well-spent.

My beautiful little family is healthy and my husband continues to quietly support my dreams while working full time, carpooling and running the errands I just can't get to. 2010 was a roller coaster with unfortunately more "dips" than "peaks", but is looking up.

For 2011, my hope is that we all remain healthy, connected and employed. We are also reallly really hoping to have another child in the next year!

My husband asked me if things will ever slow down and my response was simple... not until the kids are gone. It hit him and me that the rat-race is sometimes insane, but it is all worth it. The time spent reading with our son, having dinner as a family, the money spent on plane tickets to be with family for the holidays, time in the car to make sure that loved ones know they are loved... all of it makes me grateful and hopeful.

Happy New Year everyone.

This year has been the most challenging year of my life and I have had some challenges. I learned so much in this year! I learned that you cannot listen to who people say they are to you, you have to determine that by their actions. I learned that when the dung hits the fan and it starts to rain the ones who will hold up the umbrella over your head and stand in the rain with your are the keepers in your life. I could go on and on but I would like to thank God for all that he has opened my eyes to this year! Thank you Lord for blessing me with my husband and my children. 2011 is the year of restoration for me and my family..This year I am expecting the Lord to heal the disappiontments of 2010 and I am taking my place as the Matriarch of my family and teach my mother and grandmother how to support the ones they love and how gossip can hurt. I am going to teach our girls how to not run from obstacles in life but stand strong and stand W. to get you through.

Thank You Mama's for all of your advice and support......Much Love!

Thanks for sharing! My year was filled with ups and downs, most of the ups being about my son coming into his own. he's now 18 months and in this past year, he's been turning into a little person so quickly! it's really exciting to watch him grow :) The downs have been about jobs -- both mine and my husband's. I have an MBA and am not using it thanks to the economy and my stringent requirements for a healthy work/life balance. My husband was medically retired as a cop and has had a HARD time finding a job. He's now studying to get into network engineering and has passed one of the two tests he needs to even start looking for a job. So my hopes for the upcoming year is a great job for him which he loves, a great job for me which I love and continued health and happiness for my little one. Plus, a continued strengthening of my marriage as it also saw some rocky times given the financial and emotional stresses of the year (it's at a good point right now). Thanks for the question! Made me reflect on the year and see how far we've come in just 365 days. Happy New Year!!

WOW! Thanks for sharing your story of your roller coaster year. What I love about your experience is that it can bring hope to others who are feeling like their relationship is doomed and they wonder if it will ever get better. Here you are, a year later, with an intact marriage that is healthy and on the right track, a great job and a wonderful community that you fit right into. This helps gives others strength to hang in there, get some help and your life can be brighter with just a little time, energy and love.

My hopes for this coming year are ohhh so boring as they are similar to all my other years. I continue to hope for health and happiness for everyone in my life, the strength to get through the hard times and absolutely, hands down - Peace on this wonderful Earth that we each share space.

L. J. I.

2010 has been very challenging. I've had some deaths in the family and some loved ones that have become permanently disabled and put into rest homes. Money is tight.
I'm alive, happily married, healthy enough to do things I like to do, my kids are in great places in their lives.
God has blessed us and taught us all year long. I'm hoping for more of it in 2011.
I've learned that husbands love their wives the best but they love their mother's longest.
I am not afraid to die, I know that my spirit will live on in a much better place. I have faith so strong that even the huge things don't bother me once I stop a moment to pray about them.
May God bless all of you Mama's and give you the strength and wisdom to continue our daily battles on this little ball of mold and dirt we call the Earth.

We had a few health scares this year..but it all turned out to be fine. I'm very grateful for that. And for the health of my family.
I'm also grateful that my husband works his butt off to provide for us. We're lucky that we were minimally effected by the economy this year, when so many were hit so very hard.
I'm grateful for my family most of all--my husband, son, mother, siblings and even my wacky in laws. I've learned over 47 years that situations, jobs, homes, things...come and go but family is forever :-)
I hope our health and finances hold out over 2011 as well.
Happy New Year!

The end of 2009 and all of 2010 was awful for me and my family. Within a year time frame, I lost both grandparents, 2 great uncles, 4 really close family friends. My stepdad had 2 strokes and a heart attack, I had 3 surgeries, I was off work for a year and a half, my house was almost forclosed on (thankfully, I got it modified because of the government thing). Before my grandpa died, I was helping my mom take care of him, I was also helping my mom take care of my stepdad. I finally went back to work, so I was still helping with my gramps and stepdad, while taking care of my daughter and working fulltime. I've had major financial hardship and it's been extremely hard. I'm glad my daughter (Who will be 20 months on Christmas) doesn't know what is going on and doesn't realize she won't get anything from me for Christmas. And today, I will have another surgery scheduled, for early next year. My stepdad has to have a major surgery soon and my sister also has to have sugery soon. So the start of 2011, won't be the greatest either.

But, I am thankful I have a beautiful and healthy daughter. I'm thankful I have friends that are there for me and have helped me out through the hard/trying/give up times. I'm thankful I have a roof over my head, heat in my house, and food for my daughter. I'm thankful that overall, I am healthy and can continue to provide for my daughter, because I am all she has.

I can only hope and pray that 2011 will bring more happiness, better health and an overall better financial outlook.

It looks like you have had a rocky 2010. But keep faith in God and your 2011 will be better. I am a single mother of a wonderful boy who will be 8 in 10 days. We lived in an apartment complex that had recently turned not safe. I prayed about finding the resources and a safer place for my son and within a week I had funds and a beautiful apartment that was within minutes of my family. I then prayed that God would find someone who was worthy of my love and loved my son and put an old friend in my life that we are working on rebuilding a relationship. I say all of this to you for this reason: begin praying now that your 2011 will be better than your 2010. I learned to be specific in my prayers and look what it brought me. You can be specific also and God will answer your prayers. Good luck and I will be praying for you as well.