And so the year is done, bar the few final gasps, and as it is confined to the annals of history, I reflect on the hugely emotional year it has been.
It started with the culmination of a long time dream of ours, to build our house. Unlike all of our friends and family we decided to go the conservative route and buy a small cheap house with lots of ground and rebuild at some stage. The one proviso was we would do it without debt. Well, it took us 20 years to work ouselves into that position and at the end of Jan 2009, we moved into our new dream house.
Sadly though, we have had to say goodbye to four very special people this year, and whilst their loss was painful, what was harder to deal with was the pain my children indured. We entered the year with them not really experiencing death at close quarters, but we leave 2009 with them knowing the emptiness of that final goodbye, and even as I write this the tears are close at the memory of my 17 year old's reaction when she, her monther and I were sitting in paradise on the side of a mountain when the news was broken to us that her Nana was gone, without warning. The raw primal emotion was difficult for me, as a father, to bear.
However, we look ahead to 2010, for us as a country it is a momentous year. it is the Fifa World Cup, and we will be on display to the world. We are up to the challenge, but even as a proud South African, I have some concerns about our infrastructure being up to hosting such a huge event. I think one of the biggest challenges will be public transport, but we are assured all is on track. So we will see.
J and I are off to the mountains shortly, where we will sit quietly amonsgt our favourite peaks and reflect on the year that was and usher in the year that is to be.
Where ever you are, what ever you are doing, we wish you good cheer, good times, but most of all we wish you to be safe so that we may continue to be amoungst you, and grow with you in ways many fear to, or wouldn't even think to.
Till we chat again in 2010, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! (Yip, even to you Walter, bloody Aussie bugger!) *man hug to you*
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