2010 in Reflection

Category-wise, you'll definitely be getting Meanderings today, on this the final day of 2010.  Now I'm going to have to go through that confusing phase of writing '2010', crossing out the last zero and putting a '1' in place, for the next month or two.

For the  past twenty years of our marriage, the missus and I have carried out a silly tradition.  But it is one that a lot of people seemed to appreciate and anticipate each year.  We cut, fold, design and paint our own Christmas cards.  As well we include a yearly poem summarizing the events of the year gone by.

 I was sitting thinking how I was going to go about ending the year in my new blog project and it hit me.  Why bother reinventing the wheel, just cut and paste the poem onto the blog.

So here goes:

Wasn't it just a week ago

We wrote of two thousand and nine

No, wait a year has passed us by

Once again it's Christmas time

Youngest one hit sweet sixteen

Surrounded by friends and fun

And to add to complications

Completed her driver's G1

But earlier on in the year

She was seen on the stage as a Pye

Josie's Ma in Ann of Green Gables

Drama at the local High

Next was a wicked stepsister

Of Cinderella, rude, selfish and mean

Along with her real life sister

Created quite the scene

Third play was Bye By Birdie

Ursula she brought to the stage

A teenage teeny bopper

From when Elvis was all the rage

This fall, in grade eleven

Another dramatic role befell

This time the harlot, Sonya

In the musical performance, Godspell

In addition, she works hours at the grocer

All summer and throughout the week

She whips up goods in the bakery

Makes all sorts of good things to eat.

Most mornings she's up and about

Working out at the break of day

Achieving a level of fitness

From which she does not stray

A top notch scholar and student

At studying, she does her part

Got top awards in two of her classes

Grade ten English and Art

And last of her accomplishments

She is always singing in tune

Finished with flying colours

Grade Eight voice in June

Now on to the older sister

Who's moved to higher learning

She'll be home for Christmas

A time for which she's yearning

She started the year as Marilla

A role she played stern and grey

And then there was “Read All Aboot It”

That five students wrote, sang and played

Thirteen songs she composed for this venture

Which she played with panache and flair

Their dancing, singing and acting

Got accolades from everywhere

The second wicked stepsister was next

Played only as our eldest couid

Simp'ring, whimp'ring, whiney and brash

Annoying, but my she was good!

Bye Bye Birdie, a joint venture

'Tween the two rival city schools

Saw Gillian as Rosie Alvarez

The girls who breaks all Mama's rules.

Thus ended her high school career

A big fish in the local pond

Where she made lasting friendships

And created memories so fond.

An Ontario Scholar she finished

Several scholarships headed her way

With music as her major

They helped her tuition to pay

She toiled at cleaning rooms each day

Endeavouring money to earn

And then we loaded her up at the end

And headed down south to Western

A tiny minnow in a great big sea

She's found the term daunting at best

And she's counting the days till she's home

To do nothing but visit and rest.

With our nest at half way empty

We needed to make our house merry

So imported a girl from Korea

And a Chinese lass known as Cherry

Imagine a house with three girls

All grade eleven in the same year

Competing for time in the bathroom

And watch the groceries disappear

And now on to the fifth lady within

The Mama, the wife, the big cheese

Who's only half what she once was

Not nearly as much to squeeze!

First as director of music this spring

For Cinderella's cast

Conducted her pit band of nine

Forging friendships that surely will last.

Throughout the year she continued to teach

Guitar, piano, voice and art

Keeping the wolf away from the door

She most certainly does her part

Summer saw the return of the Art Camp

Expanding children's art knowledge

Then taught another kid's camp

At at the local community college.

This fall a new adventure

About the province she's travelling

As she teaches the teachers to teach

A course called 'Art on a Shoestring'

May fifth this year we reached it

Twenty years of marital bliss

We recommend the matrimonial state

And tell you how pleasant it is!

This fall we joined the community choir

Singing alto and learning bass

To Handel's great Messiah

In all its majesty and grace

As well, we ventured afield

On a bus trip to Amish land

To Lancaster Pennsylvania

The scenery and theater grand

I started the year with a bang

Well maybe twas more of a crash

As I waved goodbye to industry,

Old friends, security and cash

But I've hardly missed a day

Supply teaching far and near

Landscaping and summer school

Has rounded out my year.

The greenhouse is back up and running

Growing wave petunias and such

For those who bought our wares

We thank you very much

Our deck was tiny and cramped

More a pathway to the pool

So we added more square footage

Just after we finished with school.

The twenty first century beckoned

With each day we saw more need

So finally up with the tower

And forward with internet high speed.

And that about sums it up

Our year from beginning to end

We send our love in this

Be you family or friend.

A safe and blessed holiday

A joyous wonderful New Year

To each and everyone of you

We send our Christmas cheer.

That the yearend tally, although giving details within the confines of words that must rhyme (well within reason anyway) and meter that should flow (I know it's all over the map) can make some life events seem rather trite.

Today is the first anniversary of my final day in industry, after almost twenty years in the same routine.  A victim of the recession, actually one of about two hundred in our particular case, I started the year with a fair sense of trepidation.  Life's safety net had evaporated, and the tight rope seemed pretty daunting.

Fortunately I completed my teaching degree a few years ago (during an unfortunate work stoppage period) so at least I was not completely unarmed, as many of my colleagues seemed to be.  As well I had been supply teaching a day or two a week, while working shift.  At least I had my foot in the door, and something to move directly into.  I have been pretty much gainfully employed as a supply teacher, throughout the area for the entire year (excluding the summer hiatus). 

The second most difficult phase, that the poem trivializes, was my eldest daughter's exit to university.  Our close-knit little family group, suddenly had a gaping hole.  I know Dads aren't supposed to show emotion, and I did hold it together externally.  But inside.....different story.  

The van is packed, I'm ready to go.

And then there was the difficult flying visit at Thanksgiving.  It was great to see her, but she was so busy, so over tired and wouldn't you know it,  I had a course on the one day of the three she was home.

So we've much enjoyed her two week break home over the holiday season.  But I'm already starting to lump up, just thinking that she goes back in two short days.

2010 has been a bit of a free fall session; an emotional roller coaster so to speak.  However we managed somewhat intact, and for my part a little more self confident in my ability to make do and survive financially and emotionally. 

And that is about all I have to say for today

Musings and Meanderings from the Musical Gardener.