Jillian Chantal

Since it’s the last day of the year, my thoughts turn to the past twelve months and I’m thinking about all the people in my life who I’ve lost this past year. The two particular tragedies that stick with me are my friend’s seven year old Down’s Syndrome son who was backed over by the neighbor and killed and the forty-eight year old friend who was stung by a bee and died. My friend’s son almost died when he was four from an illness and spent months in the hospital and my friend never left his side. We thought when he survived that ordeal that he was on the road to a long life. Such tragedy. I spent a lot of the last year in funeral homes and at services- the summer months were the worst.

Both my parents had medical issues this year- they are both 73 and still active so it was such a shock to have first the second of my mom’s strokes and then the quadruple bypass for my father as well as the insertion of a pacemaker a few months later. They are both doing okay now.

In my day job, I had a case from hell that lasted the entire summer and into the fall. It almost demoralized me but I persevered and survived it. I spent the whole season spun up over the behavior of the opposing counsel. It’s funny to look back at how I let her get under my skin but it was not fun to live it. LOL! I didn’t get to take a long vacation this year because there was something going on in that case all the time.

Some great things happened this year as well. I got several book contracts, my son got married and I got to spend some girl time on a cruise with two friends. My inlaws had Thanksgiving together for the first time since my father-in-law passed away in 2008. That was a wonderful day. I’ve grown closer to some old friends when I decided that I needed to foster those relationships better. I have a lot of dear friends who, even though I don’t see them since they live a long way off, I know they are there for me if I need them. I got to spend time on two occasions with my cousin Amy this year and got to see my cousin Sharon when my son got married. I went to RWA national conference and hung out with Melanie Atkins, Sandra Bunino and Larynn Ford among other friends. Nothing bad happened at work or home- both buildings still stand and we’re all healthy.

I did lose a couple of friends this year and it saddens me. There was no argument or disagreement. They basically stopped coming around. We have a Thursday lunch tradition with a group of ladies and some just flat out left and walked away. I don’t know why and I can’t worry about it. I get the message loud and clear. Sometimes silence screams, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I hope 2014 has a lot less funerals, a few less hospital waiting rooms and a whole lot more love and friendship as well as good times! Happy New Year!!