"Best Rush of the year"

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

Head-rush, she means, I guess? Swooping thrill? Electrifying newness? Mind-opening, conscience-altering moment?

Two-thousand and nine... I could describe moments in which I caught my breath because something was so perfect or unexpected. I can remember things I saw and recall thinking "I want to remember this forever." There were some "Oh, that went well!!" moments.

This has been something of a "yeah, but..." year. Glowing memory, but... my leg didn't work; I was afraid; I wrecked the Saturn; I dropped my laptop; I fell down; I got swine flu; I stole an umbrella (by accident; it got mailed back). Holly left, three times! (She comes back to re-pack and to leave again.)

Sometimes I caught my breath or thought "I wish I had remembered the things before this better."

And yet we're all safe and whole.

Okay. The most unadulterated, exuberant bits of 2009 were some letters I got from people saying that because of my website or my book, their lives were both more peaceful and exciting. A few different people wrote, and said sweet things about how happy and expressive their kids were being, after the parents were able to relax and embrace the wholeness of their lives.

Knowing that I've been able to assist in making some other families' real lives actually happier is a rush.

Some of my quiet, thoughtful, memorable moments were shared on this blog over the past year, and others have no remaining evidence outside my faulty and mortal memory.