“How can it be January 7,” I asked myself this morning when I realized I’d missed my blog deadline by six days!

A week ago today my out- of- state company (family) and I were planning New Year’s Eve – it feels like yesterday. I hadn’t had visitors in a year or two, and the house filled up with bodies and noise and life. I put roughly a thousand miles on the car just around the valley. We hiked (well, sort of) Superstition Mountain, shopped and ate and played at Dave and Buster’s, spent the evening at the block party in Tempe, and saw the best football game ever. Luckily “our” team won. In fact, both of my OK teams won Bowl games here.

            And then Wed. night the house emptied like a vacuum and all the energy was sucked out. It left a large, cold space that needed to be cleaned. I did my usual nonsense in order not to feel the loneliness: I stripped the beds, dusted, vacuumed up glitter and crumbs, took down and packed up, and folded and washed and made more lists like – clean the plant shelves above the kitchen cabinets, wipe down the pantry, clean out the garage – you get the picture. I blamed it on the weather as it pushed 80 degrees and started spring house cleaning as if it were March. After two days I was more exhausted than I’d been when I dropped them at the airport, and last night I sat down. Turned off the tv, put away the lists, and sat down in the dim quiet. A few tears welled but memories of the past week made me smile.

I miss the chaos and confusion of four people making a simple decision. I miss the clutter on the tables and counters. I miss the noise of non-stop chatter, Angry Birds and television. I miss family.

So this morning I sit in silence over coffee and watch the sun rise; I tear up the lists of tasks and errands, and I down-load photos to re-live those precious moments that seem to move too fast these days. I thank God for a wonderful life, a close family, and all the blessings of the past year and those ahead in 2012. Happy New Year!