To the New Year 2014

Happy New 2014 Year, dear friends!

I want to mark this first day of the new and beautiful year with gratitude for the year passed and dreams and wishes for the year that just stepped onto the ruling pedestal. 2013 was a year like no other, full of contrasts between tears of happiness and moments of desperation. But as the best of the human nature is, we forget the bad, savor the happy and keep the lessons learned to apply to a future chapter in the book of life. We said goodbyes to 2013 on a happy note and thanked God for many blessings and opportunities sent to us during the last 12 months. We've grown in numbers,  added true friends to our small circle of dear people and grown in faith and closer as a family are just a few from the very extensive list.

I have many hopes and wishes for the New 2014th Year. Though without any resolutions ( i still seem to not be able to adapt this custom, even 15 years later ), I am looking forward to 2014 with a happy heart. I hope and dream to fill the next 365 days with more laughter, more explorations, more time dedicated to travel and discoveries of new places and cultures, to growing new hobbies, talents and opportunities and continuing on with the ones acquired during 2013. I am beyond excited for new developments and success within work related avenues coming to life this year. And although we have had a huge slip off in the technology department during the last several months ( TWO computers with logic board defect - what are the chances! - which caused a complete loss of over 20 thousand images ) , I am more in love with photography then ever. I found it to be my new creative outlet, and have been working much during the last two months on creating a new path to follow.

 I am also looking forward to more of the exhausting technique classes, rehearsals and collaborations. At 34 this year and having gone through many, many years of life "on stage" I am realizing that I may not have many more of those left in the future. And should this be my last one, I want to have it stored in my memory as the best one yet. 

I hope for complete health of all of our loved ones. And then also wish and hope to grow more romance in our marriage, because between two separate careers and one combined, five children and what seems like a thousand responsibilities, it is easy to let go of that part, but it is oh-so-crucial in marriage, at least for me. I also want to steal a few more minutes together with my oldest son. 2013 marked his 10th birthday, and it won't be long before he enters the all-time "too-cool-for-mom" teens. I am marveling at the blessing of having this extremely intelligent, witty, talented and beautiful little human with a heart of gold in my life, and while he's cool with the fact of hanging out with me, my schedule is and will be filled with more photography outings, concerts, art galleries and chess tournaments. Though his mother, it is not bias of me to state that the world has gained another future genius when my little man entered the world way back in 2003. 

My list can go on indefinitely, and although it may never end, it is the ability to see even if only some of the dreams realize what makes it for a part of my definition of "happy" making it more exciting to look toward the future. And last but far not least, I am just throwing it out there into the universe that it would be much appreciated to have the minutes in the hour go a little slower, even if only for a day or two.

I hope for more love in the world, happiness and peace within hearts and families, understanding between people and abundance of new, better, opportunities for all. As they say in my culture, when translated directly : 

 With New Year! With New Happiness! 

How about you? What do you wish or hope for in this new year?