2007 was a heck of a year

Arthur fussed that I hadn't blogged enough in the past month, and here I go blogging everyday!

The Thomasville Times has changed their setup so that unless you have an online subscription, you can't view a full article on the web until it is at least two weeks old. So, for those of you who can't pick up a copy of the Times and can't wait another two weeks to see what Arthur wrote, I was allowed to have a copy of his column for this week. Somebody please tell me that I'm not the only one who cries when I read these things!!

2007 was a heck of a year.
It started with my father lying in a hospital bed. He died 12 days later.
And what else can I say about that? I've known I was going to write a column like this for a couple of months now, and the words are no easier to come by now than they were then.
He was my daddy. I loved him. He loved me. He was a good man, and I still want to cry when I think about him. I know I'm no different from you for feeling this way.
It's been hardest on my mother. The two were inseperable. My sisters and I have tried hard to be there for her this year, but as anyone who's lost a family member knows, the road beyond a loved one's death is an individual one.
And yet, despite this shattering loss, something else was slowly at work in my life.
During that difficult time, I was receiving the love and support of a special woman. Over the ensuing months, we grew ever closer and she's had a profoundly positive impact on my life.
With Bridgett's help, I kicked the smoking habit in April of this year. And again, with her taking on more roles than I can count, we opened a photography studio in August.
In November, we became engaged and now we're planning our wedding.
In between there's been the usual ups and downs of life like any other year, but we've been through them together.
And as if to bookend the year, Bridgett lost her grandmother just last week.
The only constant is change, they say. And I have no doubt 2008 will offer still more change in our lives. Thankfully, at the start of 2008, I am hopeful for the future.