2025 Blessing Jar

So Christmas before last (2024) our “gift” at church (the church always gives the congregation a small gift usually on Christmas Eve, made by the youth) was a Blessing Jar. It’s a little plastic jar with a sticker on it that says “blessings.” The goal being that we’d write down our “blessings” throughout the year and drop it in the jar. On Christmas Eve we are to open said Jar and remember all the blessing we have received over the past year. I liked this idea and fully embraced it. I didn’t drop a blessing in every day but when something good would happen I’d write it out on the piece of paper, put the date and drop it in the Jar. Even tho I got my Jar on Christmas Eve I dropped in a few in December as little Olia made her way into the world. I also have blessings in the jar for January, Feburary, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and well December. So I did better than I thought I did looking back on them.  

A few highlights include:

• 12-31-2024- Olia has been discharged, everyone is home and a family of three starts this next phase of this journey
• 1-18-2025 Got up super early and made our way to Pittsview to officially meet Olia in person. She is so adorable. She slept most of the day but was a trooper with being passed around so much.
• 1-21-2025 Mobile got 6-10 inches of honest to God Snow.
• 1-27-2025 I turned xx I’m blessed with family, friends and loved ones who reached out in various ways to say HBD. I keep thinking of my cousins Kevin who didn’t make it to this age (brain tumor). Am I living up to my potential ?
• 2-4-2025 Volkert turns 100 today. A great achievement and one that a lot of companies don’t get to celebrate.
• 2-2-2025 Uncle Ernest passed away today. Grateful that I got to see him back in January when we stopped by after seeing Olia. He made it to 89.
• 4-19-2025 Andrew asked Alana to marry him and she said yes. There will be a wedding in 2026, a graduation too for both of them. Proud of them. She’s lovely and already fits in well with our group.
• 5-12-2025 McNeil graduated with a  doctorate in Pharmacy today.
• 6-8-20205 Golden and I went to Atlanta to see the Stray Kids. I’ve never seen her more excited for a thing ever! I admit I didn’t know them before this but I’m glad she introduced me to them they put on a great show. I had to manually control her light stick cause we couldn’t sync them up but she only noticed that half way through the show
• 7-18-2025 McNeil is a fully licensed Pharmacist! I am so proud of him and how hard he works. The kid is hella smart and focused.
• 7-30-2025 – Mrs. Danley’s funeral was today (Paula’s mom). She had a brain tumor and while her battle was short it wasn’t easy. The boys took it really hard. I’m proud of them tho they both held themselves together when it counted. McNeil sang a song. They both were pallbearers. Alana even made the trip down from school for it.
• 8-15-2025 – Mom had bypass surgery today. It was scary but she did really well. Several friends came and sat with us during the surgery which was nice. I think dad really appreciated it.
• 9-1-2025 – I made it to Dragon Con ! Neil and Dad insisted that I go so I did but I thought about mom the entire time. The day I left she was moved to a room. The following day she was moved back to ICU as her oxygen kept dropping for very little reason. I couldn’t fully focus on DragonCon but we tried to do all the things. I ended up coming back early and mom was super excited to see me. So I’m glad I did that.
• 9-6-2025 – mom and dad celebrated their 55^th anniversary in a rehab room, mom’s getting stronger and that’s the best gift she can give him.
• 9-24-2025 – MOM IS HOME!!!!!
• 10-3-2025 – Andrew and Alana drove home so that we could throw a pumpkin party. I got to carve pumpkins with my favorite people and I’ve never been happier. Grateful this tradition means as much to them as it does me.
• 12-25-2025 – OLIA IS ONE!!!  Or as we say around here … Olia is ONDERFUL. Best gift we ever got.

I like the idea of the Blessing Jar … I plan to continue it into the new year …. What to do with the old ones… I want to save them some how … maybe I’ll find an envelope and drop it in the Jar too. It was fun looking back at them this year. Maybe I’ll do better this year about including more things in the Jar not just the big stuff.

Here’s to a great 2026 for everyone far and wide, I wonder what blessings it will hold. 

Marcy

Time for a catch up

I’ve been typing this for a few weeks now in my head … so below is fraction of the stuff I’ve written in those hours between sleeping and being awake, or in the car on my way to or from work, or just sitting and starring at nothing (literally) on TV thinking I should be writing on this blog. So .. um… Enjoy!

Dragon Con was in short …. Awesome. As always. Granted there was a lot of great Cosplay and even more amazing food, panels, parties but the best part was spending 6 days uninterrupted with my favorite person on this planet. Golden. In short there was over 65K people for this year’s con and they raised over $95K for their charity (Open Hand ATL) – every year they pick a charity and throughout the Con raise money then Dragon Con matches it so that means they raised over $190K for Open Hand ATL! That my friends is beyond awesome! There was a blood drive and in my sleep deprived state I’m sure I saw the final total of donors but I can’t find it. Needless to say Dragon Con is about more than a big party, cos play, vendors, games and yes alcohol. That being said I enjoyed those things as well. We also did a few things we have never done before like hearing the Georgia Philharmonic which let me tell you was a lot of fun. Apparently a very popular event. It was a very chill vacay and much much needed.

Work was great while I was gone. I didn’t really check in like I normally do. I let the guys handle it and they did. We had one or two hick ups but nothing major and nothing that’s going to set the house on fire really. It was nice to know that when I’m not there they can handle it and often don’t just cause I’m there to do so. Now that I know they can I’m going to push for them to do it more often. I usually rush back to work as soon as I return home from Dragon Con. This year I went up a day early (which frankly threw me and Golden way off all freaking week but was nice) and when I came home it was late on Tuesday. Wednesday I was a zonked out mess and Friday we were going out of town for my nephew’s engagement party (that’s right people the oldest nephew popped the question, she said yes and I’ve bought three dresses for the big day (March 2023)). So I didn’t want to come home exhausted, go back to work exhausted, and go to the engagement party exhausted and then come back for a work week like quadruple exhausted (assuming that’s a thing). So for the first time I took 8 days off work. 8 whole work days (granted you’d think I was gone a month the way my co-workers reacted upon my return). I admit … it was nice. My boss told me upon my return he fully thought I’d start working from home and I was like you know I almost did then was like nah. He said he was proud of me for doing it cause he knew I needed it. I said yes yes I did.

While I was gone I celebrated my 19^th anniversary at work. In 2 years, my career can legally drink. I can’t believe it’s been 19 years. That’s just nuts to me. When I think back over the years I never dreamed I’d make it to 10 then I thought ok maybe 15 and now I’m knocking on the door of 20. It’s been a long time of ups, downs, horrible bosses, good bosses and a great boss. I’ve come around the block a few times on hating and loving what I do, being frustrated beyond belief about it and also caring so much I made myself sick. In the last year or so I’ve risen to manager of my department with several employees “under” me, lost 2, (one I’m not sure I ever had and another to a growing family), gained one, almost lost another but fought really hard for her cause she’s more amazing than I think she knows. My current goal is to make her see what I see in herself and try to overcome the horrible crap she’s been through over the years and to get the other to understand she’s here to stay and get over the hump of constantly being in fear that she’s not doing enough or will be let go at the drop of a hat. That’s not how we do things at least in my department.  It’s been very interesting being the boss. I’ve never been in that position before and I’m trying to emulate the ones that showed me what to do, taught me my role and pushed me to be the person I am today, as opposed to that Asshat who can well fuck off, she knows who she is. Ha! 19 is something I’m going to be very proud of and here’s to many more. If most people work say 40 years I’m half way there … kind of.

Golden also got a promotion recently at her job and I’m super proud of both of us. We are finally starting to see the results of decades of hard work and dedication and it’s about damn time!

Tomorrow I’m getting up at the crack of dawn, getting ready for work, and then sitting down with my mom to watch the Queen’s funeral. Mom’s been a huge royal family watcher for years I find them fascinating, but mom knows the names and titles and dates for important things. I figure if it starts at 5 my time it will be over in time for me to get to work on time, plus I don’t really want mom watching it alone. I got up with her to watch Diana but as a teen who really didn’t care fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up to mom crying. I couldn’t understand at the time why I mean she didn’t know that lady or her family, but she was connected to the fact that her two boys were now alone in a sea of well … whatever that is. She said it made me think of my brother and I. She appreciated me watching with her even if I did fall asleep.

With the kids back in school, football season getting underway, and fall weather kind of in the air it’s time to turn my attention to pumpkins and calendars and socks ……. Speaking of which I need to finish my laundry. Until next time….. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN and prayers for King as he steps into his new role.

Marcy