Dear 2022,

I would prefer to describe you with all of my favorite colorful words. Instead I will find ways to be thankful for the heartache and lessons learned. While clinging to the beautiful things that came from this year. This truly felt like the year of the highest highs and the lowest of lows.

The Lowest Low

The mental health struggle bus was the name of the game for most of 2022. In May, my oldest son moved with his Dad to Colorado. The events leading up-to and the transition has been taxing on the entire family unit. There isn’t a single Mom, Dad, brother, and member of close family that escaped this sting. As a mother, moving your child to another state is a different level of anguish.

Co-parenting tends to be difficult, on a good day. Even more so from hundreds of miles away. In October, we made a decision as parents in hopes for the best possible outcome. I made the road trip to Denver so that we could take steps together in healing the family unit. Many conversations that were years in the making took place and there seemed to be some closure. There is plenty of growth still to come, but as I have come to know – there is beauty on the other side of pain.

There is much to be learned in the realm of broken families. What it should boil down to – doing what is best for the kids involved. They didn’t chose this life, they didn’t pick to be in the middle. The faster a family can heal, communicate, and work together – the better off they will be.

The Highs

Forever thankful for the moments of light that carried me through the lowest lows. My favorite Dumbledore quote, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

A few really amazing things happened in the world of social media. Two articles published on the Dallas Moms Blog, you can read those here and here. My time with Dallas Moms was a great way to connect with local moms outside of my regular circle and learn so much more about writing in general. A viral TikTok on my favorite wallpaper that everyone swore was a fire hazard. Everyone online has their opinion and TikTok is the market where anything goes. Most thought it was great, including Kelly Dawson from Kitchnn, I was equal parts shocked and thrilled to find this article.

In the midst of the hardest days of my life, I took a trip with my sister to Destin. Just the two of us. Leaving all responsibilities behind for a week for some much needed Vitamin-Sea therapy. We faced our fears with a parasailing trip, consumed amazing food, and relaxed as much as possible. Highly recommend taking a trip with your sister or closest friend to unwind from the daily demands of life.

Perhaps the greatest win this year was finding and landing my dream job. So amazing and entire blog post will be dedicated to this news!

Restoration

Pressing forward into 2023 focusing on restoration. This word kept popping up all around me and it feels grounding. Restoration of: mental/physical health, career path, home projects, and relationships. Looking forward to the year ahead and growth to come! – XO Taylor