I’m pretty sure that exactly one year ago tonight I had no idea I’d start a daily blog in January. Truth be told, I didn’t know until I picked up my book of devotions for 2012 that I’d purchased for the new year and read the one for January 1st.

The topic was about not only reading His word on a daily basis, but also living it. I fail miserably at this day in and day out. And to make matters worse, at the time I put a selfish spin on what I was reading and thought, “I always say I will do something, but I never do it with any consistency. This year I will.” So I vowed to write every day. Enter: Thanky.

It never ceases to amaze me how much can happen in one year. On one hand, it seems like time passes in the blink of an eye, and like we were having Christmas 2011 just yesterday. I remember going to see White Christmas with my family at the performing arts center, I remember decorating the tree, and I remember the two weeks I took off to enjoy my “birthday month.” I remember a friend moving home from a year abroad in Korea, and I remember losing my Napa Valley wine train tickets and a corresponding hotel reservation for New Year’s Eve because I unexpectedly had knee surgery and simply couldn’t make it. I’ve never had a good New Year’s Eve, so why would last year have been any different? Sigh.

On the other hand, if I think back to specific things that happened throughout the year, it seems like time passes so slowly.

A job search pays off; a new job begins. A best friend moves away. Another best friend gets engaged, as does my brother. Yet another best friend gets married. Post-surgery healing begins, and — while it took almost a full year — sitting cross-legged on the floor is no longer a dream of mine; I can do it once again (it’s the little things that make me happy). I remember going on a whopping total of four dates with a dude who ultimately revealed he had a bizarre penchant for playing dress-up and wearing pirate garb (eh, no thanks — oh, and buh-bye). A band forms, said band plays at the Hollywood House of Blues and, just like that, my rockstar fantasies are fulfilled. Grandparents succumb to dementia. New co-workers are met, and new friendships are forged. People from back in the day find their way back into your life.

Tonight I am thankful for all that a year brings. The good, the rocky, the bad, the challenging and the eye-opening. I am not thankful for my grandparents’ dementia, but I am thankful for the awareness, patience and knowledge it brings. I am not thankful that a best friend moved away, but I am thankful for his new adventure and exciting re-beginning. I am thankful for a new job, for a refreshed, renewed sense of purpose and for a family that I can’t wait to make new holiday memories with year after year.

Merry Christmas eve, everyone.