They say that as we age time flies by more quickly and I have come to realize just how true that is. 2007 has come and is nearly gone, and it has been a long year in many ways, but a very short one in others. At this time last year, I was busily preparing for my parents who would be coming from Jamaica to spend the holidays with us. How could I know that would be our last family Christmas together? In February she passed away - in March we buried her. I saw my home island from a new perspective - re-connected with friends and family, and upon returning to my adopted home, I vowed to make a greater effort to make time for the people I love - realizing that life is but a vapour.
I started blogging too about a year ago - and in the beginning, wasn't sure how to get this thing going. Now, we have a bit of a groove going. The early months of 2007 were a blur - dealing with issues related to my mom's passing, getting more books printed so I could fill orders, (http://www.angersolution.com/?page=store), and finding the strength to do all that had to be done while grieving...
I started blogging too about a year ago - and in the beginning, wasn't sure how to get this thing going. Now, we have a bit of a groove going. The early months of 2007 were a blur - dealing with issues related to my mom's passing, getting more books printed so I could fill orders, (http://www.angersolution.com/?page=store), and finding the strength to do all that had to be done while grieving...
In April, I participated in the Easy Living Show (thanks Lynn!)(http://www.promoplanning.com/) and ran another Anger Solutions Train the Trainer group, and certified 4 wonderful trainers from Toronto, London, and Cornwall, bringing our total 
number of certified trainers to 35. (http://www.angersolution.com/trainthetrainer.php)
number of certified trainers to 35. (http://www.angersolution.com/trainthetrainer.php)And in June, we ran our first Certified Trainer led bootcamp in Ottawa.
I also attended the Women of Distinction Awards as a nominee in the Education category: what an honor to be recognized with such formidable women as Suzanne Aucoin - who succumbed to her cancer only a few short months after this event.
In July, I saw another huge project come to fruition, the first
annual meeting of the Dental Technicians International Association, of the which I helped to organize and publicize - I also had the privilege of being one of the speakers at the event. I also attended my sister's brainchild, the 1st annual Canadian Gospel Music Conference in Ottawa, and had a great time there with my Dad, brother, extended family, and of course a bevy of hot Canadian and international gospel music industry greats.
This brings us to August - and our 2 week "pilgrimmage" to Newfoundland. (The picture below is of Cornerbrook, NFLD). This trip was the fulfilment of one of my long term goals - about 7 years ago, I was in St. John's Newfoundland, and fell in love with the beauty of the place. I so wanted to bring my family to the "rock" so they could share in the experience, but didn't know how. 6 and 1/2 years later, the opportunity arose by way of a missions trip, and we jumped aboard. We visited all the Maritime provinces, participated in a life changing mission trip, saw some old friends and made new ones. For our kids, one of the highlights was enjoying lobster dinner at Fisherman's Wharf in PEI, and collecting that trademark red sand from the beach in the middle of a late summer gale.
In July, I saw another huge project come to fruition, the first
annual meeting of the Dental Technicians International Association, of the which I helped to organize and publicize - I also had the privilege of being one of the speakers at the event. I also attended my sister's brainchild, the 1st annual Canadian Gospel Music Conference in Ottawa, and had a great time there with my Dad, brother, extended family, and of course a bevy of hot Canadian and international gospel music industry greats.This brings us to August - and our 2 week "pilgrimmage" to Newfoundland. (The picture below is of Cornerbrook, NFLD). This trip was the fulfilment of one of my long term goals - about 7 years ago, I was in St. John's Newfoundland, and fell in love with the beauty of the place. I so wanted to bring my family to the "rock" so they could share in the experience, but didn't know how. 6 and 1/2 years later, the opportunity arose by way of a missions trip, and we jumped aboard. We visited all the Maritime provinces, participated in a life changing mission trip, saw some old friends and made new ones. For our kids, one of the highlights was enjoying lobster dinner at Fisherman's Wharf in PEI, and collecting that trademark red sand from the beach in the middle of a late summer gale.
September marked our Stress Busters event, as well as the launch of my online course, "Introduction to Anger Solutions", then on to our Fall Professional Development series in November. I started podcasting in the fall, and am figuring out how to refine the podcasting process with the help of some key mentors. You can listen at http://juliechristiansen.mypodcast.com/. Of course, through it all, I have been writing course content, and preparing material for a new book, which I will hopefully launch in the spring - and planning new events right through to June of next year. (http://www.angersolution.com/announcements.php)
And here I am now - finalizing plans for another Christmas. It will be different this year of course, no family (from my side anyway) traversing the miles to descend on our house for the holidays, and only memories of my mom to get us through. But there is no time to dwell on the past - the future beckons and the now demands to be noticed. This could possibly be our last Christmas with all three kids living at home, as my daughter plans to start university in the fall of next year. This is also our first Christmas with three teenagers in the house, and we want to savour every minute of it. So we plan to take our time, and revel in the "now", while keeping a keen eye on our plans for the future.
And here I am now - finalizing plans for another Christmas. It will be different this year of course, no family (from my side anyway) traversing the miles to descend on our house for the holidays, and only memories of my mom to get us through. But there is no time to dwell on the past - the future beckons and the now demands to be noticed. This could possibly be our last Christmas with all three kids living at home, as my daughter plans to start university in the fall of next year. This is also our first Christmas with three teenagers in the house, and we want to savour every minute of it. So we plan to take our time, and revel in the "now", while keeping a keen eye on our plans for the future.
I don't know what this year has been like for you - but I hope you will take some time over the holidays to bask in the "now" moments. Savour the flavour of the holidays, because all too soon the future will be upon us, demanding our time and attention. Have a happy holiday - Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Celebrate Kwanzaa - whatever your faith, make the best of the season!
All the best to you,
Julie Christiansen
