This past year sure has flown by. I really believe it is so important to look at your past year and review what you did whether it was positive or negative. This will certainly help you with working on new intentions and to manifest what you want for the New Year. This is a very candid and vulnerable re-cap of what is going on for me.
I did retire early so that I could continue to do this amazing work with people who have issues with overwhelming clutter and hoarding. This has been a daily thing for me as I support others with my Facebook Private Group, read as much as possible, work one on one with individuals, collaborate with other professionals, offer talks in the community and declutter my own home. Lol
I have been nesting in my home with my partner, making some changes and really making our place work for us. I love taking my time in the morning, reading and writing, making healthy food, going for walks and working on my yoga/meditation practice. Time and space is such a gift.
I am spending more and more time with my 89 year old parents. I am so grateful that I have amazing siblings. We are all close by and all are involved with my parents. They are so appreciative and realize how fortunate they are to have this family support. We are their “Meals on Wheels”, their transportation to appointments and errands as well as company as we all spend time with them. In fact, I have started to spend Wednesdays with my dad as he has been alone for a few hours on that day. I have always been closer to my mom so this has been an interesting experience for all of us. I just hooked up with ancestry.ca and am searching our family tree and looking as far back as I can into my own family history. It is so interesting!
On a sadder note and one I have had to come to grips with is that I have not had any contact with my son (who is almost 43 years old) and has three children, one I never met or was notified about. I have had none or very little contact over the past five years. I won’t go into the details of this but the one thing I can say is that he has had no contact with anyone in our family. We have a big family of about twenty five where there has always been love and support. He also has not had contact with his 89 year old grandparents and he was the second grandchild born to them. The first was my daughter who passed away at age 17 due to medical reasons. They are heartbroken.
It is sad and we all have our sad stories but honestly I have so much love and goodness in my life that I am doing well. I wrote letters to my three grandchildren in November 2019 and will do this again. I have them in a box with pictures that I have and someday I will be able to share these with them. I had made my middle grandson a quilt last year (2018) out of fabric I had purchased in Australia many years ago and I have started a small quilt for my youngest granddaughter (the one I haven’t met). I have a picture of my first grandchild who will be nine next year with the quilt I made her when she was little and it is in the box. I am planning to make something new for her as well. This is how I have been healing. So please I do not want any advice and I do not want you to feel sad for me.
I am so fortunate to have four beautiful grandchildren through my partner whom I love. They call me Gramma Kimmie and love me unconditionally. What more could one ever hope for. It is so wonderful to have love and children in your life.
I have had a dream to offer workshops/groups for women in my grotto space (aka garage) for many years now. Don’t get me wrong. Many things have happened out there. “What happens in the grotto stays in the grotto”. That is the truth!! Here is a bit of the back story with pics on the Grotto Space.
My partner and I did offer a few workshops there a few years ago and they were really successful. After that we talked about it for probably two years and then we decided we either needed to do something or stop talking about it. So, we both wrote an intention that we put under our pillows. We ran a few focussed workshops this past summer and they have naturally morphed into monthly Moon Circles. It is so wonderful to connect with like minded women and to create a space where we are free to talk about anything that comes up in our lives. We both feel so blessed to be able to hold this space for women.
There are some shifts happening in my work as well. Along with a co-facilitator, I will be offering a Support Group for Family Members of those with Hoarding Disorder starting in January. This is brand new for me and also new for my community. I am so excited to be designing and offering this group. I am anticipating that I will be learning a lot and I plan to share this with all of you as well. Stay tuned!!
I am also very excited to be offering a new service this year: Virtual Coaching/Organizing Yes, Online (Zoom, FaceTime, telephone, etc.) which means you can get help and inspiration from the comfort of your own home. I am currently offering Free 20 Minute Intake/Consulations – You can sign up here https://SpaceForYou.as.me/ Maybe, we will be a great fit and this will be your year to get motivated.
I am so excited for what 2020 will bring for us and I hope you are too. Let me know what topics you would like to see here or in the FB Group. Please join Declutter Your Life and Mind for more inspiration.
Thanks for sharing so much about yourself, Kim. It seems like most people I meet have been through difficult experiences, and you have chosen to handle yours with grace and optimism. Very inspiring! I love the idea of a support group for family members of those with hoarding disorder. It can be a very frustrating situation, and I definitely feel that being with others who are walking on a similar road can be one of the most comforting and encouraging things we can do. I wish you great luck with this, and I feel it will help many!
Thank you so much Seana – it doesn’t always feel that way but I really appreciate your words. Grace and Optimism. I will take those in. I am really looking forward to the new group and imagine it going well. Happy New Year to you.
It’s inspiring to read about how grounded you are. Life obviously throws many wrenches, but you have such a healthy, loving way of working with them.
I admire the time and care you and your family are able to give to your 89-year old parents. It is truly remarkable.
It also sounds like 2020 will be an amazing year filled with growth and giving.
Awe, thank you so much Linda. I am a very calm and grounded person and it is so good to hear that it comes across in my writing. I feel so blessed that I am able to spend this time with my parents and I am hoping it will bring me even closer to my siblings as well. Happy New Year to you.
I wonder if it has something to do with the time of year… yours is the third very personal blog post I’ve read in the past few days. Thank you for sharing what’s happening in your personal and professional lives – it sounds like you’ve got some exciting stuff in the works!
Hi Janet, It seems that it is important these days to be real even though it can be hard to do. I think that more and more bloggers are trying to do this in order to have good connections with people. I truly look forward to more connections this year. Thank you so much for your comment and Happy New Year.