It started out well, as most brand-new years do.
Rabbits came out of hats, and the homework did, too.
There was Catholic Schools Week and we loved it, of course,
Then at Chinese New Year said farewell to the Horse
As we welcomed the Goat (or the Sheep?), one with hooves,
And our wild celebrations raised quite a few rooves.
Then it snowed—yay, hooray—and then snowed more and more.
Through the year we had struggles and joy, that’s for sure.
We learned about finances, gave God a big hug,
Played soccer forever ’til Mama said ugh.
The Tooth Fairy came more than once, maybe thrice,
And, though they never asked, I sent Target advice.
The year it went on, we made memories galore,
In between making hundreds of trips to the store.
I packed so many lunches, then sent the wrong ones,
Made a coloring book for my two favorite sons.
At the grotto we prayed as we climbed up a slope.
Then we grieved for our city with love and with hope.
It was a year of goodbyes and we’ll-see-you-agains,
I still might tear up over leaving pre-K,
But having one pick-up and drop-off? Hooray!
We raised our first butterflies, then set them free,
And I saw the Pope, though he didn’t see me.
There was so, so much more than I can share here,
The cake we made Baba, a new dish we cheer,
The rockets we launched, and the gifts that we gave,
And five strawberry dishes—just try them! You’ll rave.
But enough is enough and the minutes tick by,
So to Twenty-Fifteen we must soon say goodbye.
As we sing, “Auld Lang Syne,” and resolve to succeed,
We wish you a New Year that will be blessed indeed.
And we hope you’ll join us for another fun ride,
I’ll save you a seat to this circus—ringside.
In case you were curious, here were the best-read posts of 2015:
1. Why we choose Catholic schools: A letter to our son (and a blog link-up)
2. Remembering Monsignor Valenzano
3. Dear people sitting near us at Mass
4. Xin nian kuai le! 8 simple ways you can celebrate the Chinese New Year
5. 8 Ways to teach your child to pray
6. 10 reasons we’re choosing Catholic schools for our children
7. Why Pope Francis should come to Baltimore
8. As a pro-life church, let’s consider how we talk about adoption
9. To the person who took our seat on Easter Sunday
10. 7 meatless meal ideas for Fridays during Lent–or any day
Linking up with Like Mother Like Daughter as well.
Wishing you a very happy 2016!