Several of my friends have written a blog post recapping 2013. I almost didn’t, but I think I’m going to.
This year has been a pretty bad year for me. Hubby and I have both had health problems, his much worse than mine. The health problems contributed to financial problems, which would have been much worse if not for the generosity of others. I don’t think I can blame that for my lack of writing, though. I can’t really find a good excuse for not publishing anything (except a short story for an anthology) in all of 2013. I haven’t published since December 2012. That’s the longest I’ve ever gone without having a new novel or novella out there. I think I just wasn’t motivated enough. Book sales have been down, and that’s discouraging. But I’m SURE not going to sell anything if I DON’T get it out there. If I could have gotten my last book out this month, I could have said I published a book in 2013, but alas….
Anyway, I didn’t meet too many goals this year. I lost 25 lbs, so that was good, but I wanted to lose more. I’ve kept up with my exercise, so that’s a positive. My eating habits have slipped, so I need to fix that. My writing goals were NOT met. This is going to change in 2014, but that’s a post for tomorrow.
Now I want to count my blessings in 2013.
1) Hubby is still alive.
2) I’m still alive.
3) I have two wonderful, healthy sons, and I love them and their families SO much.
4) My mom is still around, and she’s the best mom in the world
5) I have awesome friends, both in real life and online.
6) I met even MORE awesome friends online this year.
7) I got to read a lot of books.
8) My church family is awesome, and I love them.
9) I have a job that I like, and I love my co-workers.
10)I may not have everything I want, but right now I have everything I need,
I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and I’ll talk to you guys next year. I’m getting ready to go to a party/singing at church in a little while. Love you all!
lauralynnelliott.com 
Happy new year! (Past midnight here). I’m also concentrating on the good stuff. Wishing you well in 2014.
Happy new year to you, Claire! We have to concentrate on the good stuff. It keeps us going and motivated. š
Hopefully this year will be a better one for you. Wheeeeeeee, 2014 here we come!!
It WILL be better. š
You have some wonderful things to be thankful for.
I’m glad we got to become online friends last year! I hope 2014 is totally wonderful for you and that your husband gets better soon.
Thanks, Rose! I’m really glad I “met” you because I value your friendship so much. And one day we will meet for real!
Losing weight is hard. LOL And sticking to a healthy way of eating is hard, too, esp. with the scares you’ve had to deal with.
If I remember right, part of your struggle this year had to do with not being sure what to put in your story, and that really slows things down. Having beta read it, I can appreciate the many possibilities you had to sort out. I had no idea where the story was going and loved what you ended up doing.
That’s a great list of things to be thankful for. š
Losing weight is ALWAYS hard, but it’s especially hard when you have to focus on others for awhile. I’m hoping things will be getting better soon.
This story was super hard to write. It was a lot different from other things I’ve written, but I wanted to “expand my horizons”. I’m glad you liked it!
I think if we meditate on the good things in life, we can better deal with the bad things.