A Year of Memorable Moments

As 2012 closes, I wanted to share a phenomenal video compiled by Jean-Louis Nguyen from Montreal, Canada, that captures what brought us together.

At the same time, here are just a few memories that stuck with me this year. May 2013 bring all of us peace, joy and our own unique brand of memorable moments.

Moments that made me smile  

"Surprise, Grandpa!"

• Hearing my kids laugh the first time they had an adult sit on a whoopee cushion this Christmas.

• Bringing home Gretel, our one-year-old bearded dragon, and seeing her eat a salad for the first time.

• Joining my siblings in surprising our father on his 70^th birthday– watching all of our kids rush out to greet him in my kitchen was priceless.

Moments that made me cry

• Saying goodbye to my mother’s older sister, Winnie, this past spring. I honored her memory and the special bond she had with Mom last Mother's Day on The Writing Well.

• Hearing my mother’s favorite hymns sung at church, especially “Amazing Grace.”

• Mourning the loss of schoolchildren at Sandy Hook Elementary – they were all of our children.

Moments that made my writing journey worthwhile

• Making my writing deadlines with clients while still being able to meet my kids’ bus every day.

My great-grandparents' house in Dayton.

• Visiting my hometown of Dayton and hitting the 25,000 word mark on my historical novel, Torrential. Most importantly, doing it with the support of my incredible writer’s group.

• Capturing my kids’ love of stories in our family memoir, Bedtime Stories: A Memoir Celebrating Storytelling and Childhood. I hope they continue their love affair with books well into adulthood.  

• Featuring storytellers I admire on my blog. Notables include screenplay writing aficionado Margaret South, National Novel Writing Month founder Chris Baty, and "Orphans of Apollo" filmmaker Michael Potter.
  

Moments on film that entertained and inspired 

Denzel Washington

• Watching Denzel Washington land that plane in “Flight.”

• Viewing the closing sequence of the Twilight Saga that paid tribute to the cast in all the films.

• Enjoying quips by Robert Downey Jr. and the hilarious scene of The Hulk beating Loki in “The Avengers.”

• Appreciating the courage of our 16th president in “Lincoln” brought to life by the incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis and supporting cast members, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.

To friends and blog visitors, thank you for being a part of this journey -- warmest wishes for a prosperous and Happy New Year!