Not a Christmas letter but a memory of the year

If someone asked me about 2013, I’d say it had been a wonderful year, yet looking back there were some earthshattering events.

Early on my wonderful nephew managed after years of trying to get my beloved stepmom into a Veterans Nursing home. She was as sweet as ever even when she wasn’t sure who I was or where I was. Her lovingness was shown in how her neighbours visited her constantly.

There was the relief that each morning we wouldn’t be in a new crisis and that she was safe. She was promptly named the nursing home sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

However, she felt enough was enough and finished her voyage away from us.

We found a Catholic priest in Geneva who read between my lines to give her an eulogy that captured the feeling of an extraordinary woman leading an ordinary life as my daughter and I cried.

On a sunny late winter day my housemate called me into her bedroom to reveal a second round of breast cancer. After surgery, she suffered with two weeks of my driving until she could take the wheel and then was off to the US as if nothing had happened. Out and back to normal so fast that it seems like a nightmare dreamed eons ago. 

Our thankfulness of the Swiss health system knows no bounds. We hope in 2014 not to need it. I don't care if the hospital's initials are a hug.

 

As my love and I decided how to blend our lives, we ruled out Oxford (although it would have been fun, living in three countries would have been a bit over the top). He stepped out on his own and hasn’t regretted it. His move to this side of the ocean was the right one for both of us. Watching his adjustment to language, food and customs has been fun plus admiration on how well he’s doing it.

My daughter arrived from Scotland complete with Haggis for Bobby Burns night complete with the three of us (Llara, Julia and I) trying to read his poetry with or without the right accent.  Having her close by was a gift beyond measure, but without being able to find work, she knew she’d have to return to the States, at least with a Masters in hand to add to her many years of experience.

Our fun with her Scooby made some friends wonder about our sanity, but I loved one woman who asked “What’s with the animals?” Watching Llara via Skype open the book of the adventures created by Julia was fun in itself.

There were wonderful trips to the chalet with Rick, Julia and Llara at different times. The beauty of the Alps can heal even the saddest heart and can give waves of joy to anyone merely content.

Trips to Milan, Amsterdam, London, Oxford, Zurich, Montreux, Bern, Einsiedeln and Paris popped up during the year between greves on the French train system in our Geneva/Argelès commute.

Concerts with Garou, Cohen and Dylan presented very different styles of performing. Cohen was the greatest just going on and on and one. Garou, well, Garou will always be Garou. Dylan? 

Nice to have seen the legend, although my housemate's fall leaving the Arena could have been avoided. She did more than her share of damage to her ankle this year.

A planned trip to Canada to cover a conference was bounced over to my wonderful business partner. He had come for a meeting at home in Geneva. I remember seeing him enter the yard. The next thing I knew Rick was next to my hospital bed. No one ever found out why I fainted, but I broke my face.

The anesthesiologist sang happy birthday to me as they rolled me into surgery for a metal plate fastened by six screws in my cheek. Any of the fears for sight problems and nerve damage came to nothing. The worst part was not blowing my nose for three months, so thanks to Facebook we had an intercontinental nose blow on the day I returned to normalcy, it too has faded into memories, sub category unneeded.

Between my business partner and I we put out 48 issues of www.cunewswire.com each with between 25-50 stories covering all aspects of something we believe strongly in -- the co-operative as a business model. Most of it was fun, although self imposed deadlines wore heavy some days. It is a piece of work I'm proud of as I'm proud of my partner. It is nice to work with a writer of his talent and not to mention his technical knowledge far exceeding mine.

Murder in Paris was published, Murder on Insel Poel was accepted and worked its way through production at my publisher's, Murder in Ely was finished and sent off to the editor (awaiting higher up approval) and Murder in Schwyz begun. 

Notice the photo of the skeleton. That was taken by my talented housemate. The skeleton was discovered in our 13th century church during a renovation. We'll pretend it was found in Paris.

Despite all these murders, I'm not violent. Really. Really.

REALLY

Then there was the wonderful week of Rick’s and my ceremony in Argelès. Friends from all over the world congregated for party after party and our commitment to each other. Each day with him is better and better.

Reading back over the events of the year it sounds as if we bounced from tragedy to tragedy, but with the love and support of friends and family, with the warmth of all the people in my life, family and family of choice, I remember being happy as memories of the worry fade. Hard to explain. Just let's say 2013 reminded me almost every minute of the day how very, very lucky I am in all aspects of my life.