Good-bye 2012...

     Today is the last day of an incredible year.  Where do I begin to say in just a few words what this past year has brought to the experiences of my life?  How can I paint a picture of the growth that has come to me in just 365 short days?

     I will begin with some of the thoughts I shared with family and friends through my annual Christmas letter:

     "To say that the year of 2012 has been 'interesting' would be the understatement of a lifetime.  I can't even begin to list all of the events of the past year; so suffice it to say, 'the Mickelson Family has been alloted a boatload of challenges, (as well as blessings).'  We've experienced health issues, mental stretches, and spiritual balancing acts.  No one has been left out!

     "...I continue to be tested and have proven once again my resilience and will (with a bold statement) say, 'I am not ready to let go of this life just yet!'  I experienced a traumatic head bleed in June, which landed me in the hospital for brain surgery.... I had to work hard to overcome some of the deficits, however, but find myself 'good as new!'  (Well, almost!)

Not a pretty picture, at all, after my surgery

My wound from my second surgery to correct an infection

     "...Billy, (my) angel child that my Father in Heaven promised me long before he was born, never ceases to astound me with his talents, his zest for life, his relationships with people, and his ability to take control, when all hope is lost!  His music takes him all over the world (where audiences are touched by his humble spirit).  He is on his second tour of Europe, making an unplanned stop in Barcelona, Spain to check out how medical services are performed there.  He found that they are very competent, and may have saved his life.  For that, we give a huge, 'Hurrah!' for Spain. (And Thank You!)"

Billy and Ingrid in Barcelona after being released from the hospital

Billy, the amazing, inventive cellist

     Added to the above experiences that threatened to end two lives, I was witness to the beginning of a wonderful new life through the Temple marriage of my granddaughter, Randi Sanders on May 4th to Travis Williams in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple.  It was a beautiful and blessed day, to be sure.

Presenting Mr & Mrs. (Randi &) Travis Williams

Watching the Photographer at work and stealing a shot

     In June, I was blessed to be able to fly to So. California to attend my Santa Monica High School 55-year Reunion.  What a great time I had and it was incredible to renew old friendships.  Though we are all a lot older, inside we are all (mostly) still the same.  Only time and experience have shaped us into better people and we connected with others in the class that we hardly knew in school.

Me, Jerriann and Barbara

The main building at Samohi

     I also added 2 new great-grandbabies to my growing list of descendants.  Jacki Lynn Bracken and Mark had a baby girl, Sydney Rose, who was actually born in December of 2011, but I didn't get to meet her until Randi's wedding.  Little Blair Laidlaw, beautiful daughter of Aubrey and Matt, was born on January 6, 2012.  Both babies are happy, healthy and wonderful photo subjects!  (Unfortunately, I do not have any photos on my computer to add here.)

     With our hearts and minds once again relishing our focus on the past  Christmas Season, we are still in awe of that wonderful and amazing first gift--the blessed little Christ Child whose birth we honor and whose ultimate and necessary sacrifice we revere.  "We live in difficult times, but that one bright star that once shown over a humble stable in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, still burns brightly in every heart that looks heavenward every Christmas day and says, 'Thank you, dear Jesus, for all thou hast done for me.'"

That's my fireplace!

     It is hard to let go of a year that has produced so much spiritual growth for so many of us, and look toward a New Year that is full of questionable experiences.  I just pray that with added strength, we can overcome any and all obstacles that may be placed in our paths.  I have a deep feeling in my heart that the coming of our Lord for the second and last time to this earth is not far distant.  The signs are increasing on a daily basis.  I don't know if I will be alive on this earth to witness it, but I know many of my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be.  What a wonderful promise to look forward to.

     God bless everyone as we end our relationship with this sometimes crazy, sometimes blessed year of 2012, and move into yet another new year.