“God gives you nothing you can’t handle.”  Far too many people, including my late mother.

In the last twelve months, my family has endured (in order of importance):

• The death of my mother and the Rocket Scientist’s father. (The latter was after a bad fall which resulted in a lengthy hospitalization, recovery, and then, in late December, a stroke.)
• The death of two close friends, one sudden and shocking, the other anticipated but still painful.
• A car crash bad enough to total one of our cars (the back wheel was ripped completely off) and leave the Rocket Scientist with lingering knee pain.
• Me suffering first the flu (and yes, I had my shot — the flu only lasted two days) followed by bronchitis and pneumonia, which resulted in me running a fever for ten days and  being weak for weeks.
• A leak in one of our bathrooms while we were away from home, resulting in half of our house being flooded during Christmas. (The Rocket Scientist, the boys, and the Resident Shrink worked New Year’s Eve and Day to dry out the house.  I was of little use, having caught a bad cold while I was back East.)
• My being diagnosed with very severe anemia. (Fortunatley, that is on the way to being resolved: the infusion of several grams of iron has brought the important markers up to almost normal.)
• College admissions drama.
• My brother and his wife having the flu when we went to Florida, meaning we could only spend a little time with him and my nephew (a.k.a., the cutest kid in the world), and we couldn’t see my sister-in-law at all. (I hate to say this, given maternal pride and whatnot, but as cute as my kids when they were young (and they were mighty cute), my nephew may be cuter.)
• The normal assorted crap that one faces in any given year.

Not that there were no high spots:

• I worked almost all of the year.
• The Red-Headed Menace graduated from high school, and won a scholarship for the wonderful job he had done turning his grades around after sophomore year.
• I went to Spain and Portugal.
• I went to Epcot.
• The Little Drummer Boy, after a stint in North Georgia, moved to Brooklyn, found a job that pays well enough to support himself, and was able to see us while we were back East.
• I was able to see my best friend from high school (hi Betsy!) whom I have not seen in probably fifteen years.  It was only for a couple of ours, but it was wonderful.
• Railman being his usual wonderful self.

I was ready for 2014 to end.  Now I am more than ready for 2015 to improve.

Universe? You listening?