Holiday Hopes

Traditions are comforting, something to look forward to, things to cherish.  We in Wow have a tradition for our end-of-the-year Holiday Meeting.  One of our founding Wowettes invites us to meet at her home for a potluck, gift exchange, and a time to share what we want to nurture in our life in the coming year.  Instead of saying "I want to" exercise, lose weight, or whatever it is, we say, "I am," as if it is already becoming reality right now.  Instead of hoping and wishing, we are choosing to already become what we wish for.


Here are some of what the ladies shared.  They said "I am" healthy; glad to be alive after an almost tragic accident; recovering from hip replacement and bilateral mastectomies, but realizing that she is not her body, she is herself....and amazed at how she allowed those who love her to help her; having a relationship with formerly estranged children; finding a new career;  feeling happy with a relationship she had this year that, although it ended, showed her how much she had grown; seeking to strengthen her ties to her religion; welcoming a first great-grandchild; grateful to have become a Wowette and becoming better friends with us; appreciating even the roof over her head; enjoying a calm year; spending more time with family and friends; entertaining more; enjoying a son who just graduated from college and an improving relationship with her daughter; returning to past pleasures, such as art and singing; and after being widowed, finally connecting with friends and family and her true self....and a new puppy!


As I listened to the ladies sharing out loud to the group, I was awed by how similar we are and especially how much so many of the ladies expressed their appreciation for our group.  I realized we all need friends, who are our mirrors and our nurturers.  I realized how many challenges we still have, but how we all still want to live life fully.  For me, I shared that I wanted to be more open, more honest, more vulnerable.  And, amazingly, I just booked a speaker for our next meeting who suggested exactly that as her topic.  There are no coincidences in life, are there?  As eclectic as our group is, the love and care we share with each other is, yes, wonderful.  And here we are!