While I’m preparing to say goodbye to 2016, The opening passage of A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .Â
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness . . .”
The Season of Light
Our family celebrated two weddings in 2016. My daughter was married on May 14 and my son tied the knot on November 12th. Looking back, it was a whirlwind of budgets, boutonnieres, and bouquets.
My daughter was married on a yacht in Charleston, SC. It was the perfect venue for her wedding.
We cruised around the harbor while we celebrated the union between my daughter and her new husband. Friends and family gathered from far and near and it was truly a wedding to remember.
 Fast forward to November and we headed to Tybee Island for another wedding weekend to remember. My son and his new wife’s wedding photos haven’t been released yet, but I do have an engagement photo.
 And a tiny wedding photo . . . Shh, don’t tell.
 
The venues are vastly different, yet they completely match the personalities of the two couples. I gained a new son-in-love and a new daughter-in-love in 2016 and I couldn’t be happier.
2016 was filled with birthday celebrations, slumber parties with the grandkids and two weeks in Turks and Caicos.
 I can’t forget our annual family vacation to North Myrtle Beach. We’ve visited North Myrtle every summer for over 20 years!
The Season of Darkness
I can’t say goodbye to 2016 without mentioning the season of darkness. When my mom suddenly passed away on May 7th – exactly one week before my daughter’s wedding and the day before Mother’s Day – my world seemed to come to a screeching halt.
I’ll never forget that call I received on Friday, May 6th. For some reason, the ringer on my phone was turned all the way down. I was busy blogging away because I had a sponsored post due the following Monday – several due the following week.
After my brother received no response from me, my sister from Colorado called my house phone to tell me that mom had suffered a major heart attack and was being airlifted to a hospital in Macon, GA. Shock and disbelief do not begin to cover my feelings.
As I threw clothes in a suitcase, my brother called back to tell me mom was stable. By the time I arrived in Macon, visiting hours were long over. The sweet nurses let me in ICU to see mom and we talked for over an hour. She told me she was going home on Monday and would be at my daughter’s wedding on Saturday.
The next morning, with my dad and I (and face-timing my sister and niece) by her side, mom passed away.
I’ve experienced so many firsts this year!
- First Mother’s Day without Mom
- My first birthday without mom
- It was my first Thanksgiving without mom
- The hardest of all – my first Christmas without mom
I could go on and on, but I’m a little choked up right now.
Goodbye 2016
I won’t say that 2016 was the worst year ever. How can I say that when I got the chance to witness my daughter and later, my son, start new, exciting chapters in their lives? I also saw my grandson pitch his best baseball game yet. I watched grandkids play soccer, play in the pool and play with their dog, Max.
Seasons come and go. We can choose to be bitter or better. I chose better.
Goodbye, 2016!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . Â – Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities)
P.S. Â As far as my blog is concerned, it was the best year ever. I’m believing that 2017 will be even better!
Are you glad or sad to see 2016 come to an end?
22 comments
This perfectly describes 2016. Thank you for giving me the wedding of my dreams! We will always overcome! Love you! 🙂
You’re welcome! It was a beautiful weekend that we will remember for the rest of our lives. And you were a gorgeous bride!
2016 is definitely a year that I think everyone will remember with fondness or sadness. First, congratulations on your new Son in love and Daughter in love! They are both blessings and your Daughter and Son are lucky to have found them! Both dresses were gorgeous! Second, I am SO sorry about your mother. I remember the year of firsts after my mom passed away 8 years ago. They are hard. You will never forget the love, but it does get easier. I still have a voicemail that my mom left me before she died. I also have a voicemail that my step dad left me from several years ago. I listen to them both when I need to hear their voices 🙂
Thank you for your sweet words! I do have a voicemail from mom that I listen to when I need to hear her voice. I’ve saved it in three different places so that it won’t get accidentally erased.
I will not be sorry to see 2016 go. It was fairly good to me, but this was one murderous year for a lot of my favorite musicians and actors. Boy, has it been bad.
I am SO sorry to hear about your mom! My heart aches for you! I can’t even imagine! I am glad that you can see the good and not just the bad this year! That can be hard when you loose someone that is is close to you!
Congrats on the weddings and additional members of the family. What beautiful couples! Turks and Caicos looks amazing too!
There was a lot of ups and downs this year but mostly downs for me. I am going through a divorce so I hope 2017 will be much better.
My mom got mad at me and my brother – we both got married and had babies the same year haha We got married the same year our youngest brother graduated high school, so she claimed we were trying to kill her 🙂
You had so many wonderful things happen in 2016, but I’m so sorry about your mom. Wishing you a wonderful 2017.
That is absolutely the right way to describe 2016. I’m SO ready to start a new year and leave all the bad behind! I’m so sorry for the loss of your mom, but thrilled you now have a new son and daughter to love! Here’s hoping that 2017 has all of the blessings and none of the bad of this past year.
Sounds like it really was the “Tale of Two Cities”. Bright moments and bleak ones. I’m so sorry to hear about your mom, but so thrilled for your children and the new members of your family. Wishing you a wonderful 2017.
First congratulations to the newly weds! Your season of darkness reminds me of my father’s sudden passing as well. He died one week before my wedding, it was devastating.
Sounds like you had an amazing 2016! Turks and Caicos is beautiful. I can’t imagine having two weddings in one year like that. It must have been hectic and emotional.
So many weddings for 2016! Seems like so much fun! Congrats for both!!!!!
What a year you have had and congratulations on the weddings, I love how you say in-love rather than in-law sounds so much nicer. x
Wow, so many highs and lows for you this year. Your family grew with two weddings and then you lost one special person as well. May her memory be for a blessing and may you cherish the new memories that you will create in the years ahead.
Sounds like you had an amazing year!! The highs and the lows balance each other out in the end and I’m glad you had an overall great year!!
2016 definitely seems to have its highs and lows. Although 2016 shaped up to be a pretty great year, I’m super excited to see what 2017 has to offer!
2016 most definitely had the most ups and downs I’ve even experienced in many years. I hope 2017 is wonderful for you and I am really looking forward to follow along with you!
So sorry for your loss. It sounds like 2016 had so many ups and downs for you. I wish much happiness for both your son and daughter and may 2017 bring you wonderful things!
So sorry to hear about your mother. I truly believe there is always good in everything bad. In 2016 I lost both my precious niece at the age of 19 and my aunt the same day. I did however get a new apartment and became very close to my siblings in the same year. I really can’t say it was the worst year either. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous pictures and I am so happy that you gain both a daughter in law along with a son in law.