Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Brexit, Trump and terrorism amongst other catastrophes have been screaming at us all year. The media at large leads us to believe that 2016 was the annus horribilis to beat all others. Whilst none of these events made my heart sing, it's worth remembering, global changes don't have to pull us off course from our lives. Despite the lurching of exchange rates and economic policies, for most of us, our personal trajectory is self-designed, shaped and executed. 2016 was one of births, deaths and marriages, for me; I turned 30, some of my best friends got married and had babies, my Dad underwent life-changing surgery and our beloved grandfather died.I rarely take the time to reflect, I'm more of a push forward kinda gal, me. For the sake of this post, I am doing so today and the following moments have emerged, mostly from the quiet minutiae of daily life; Saturday morning breakfasts with my boyfriend, shopping with my Mam, laughing till my face hurts with my Dad, reading books with my niece.I savoured being part of a friend's wedding, seeing one of your closest friends and in turn her friends and family beam all day is a beautiful thing.Backed by the unfaltering support of my friends and family, I pushed myself. I found kindness in strangers when I interviewed women for As an Nua and fortified friendships in collaborating with Gillian Prints, Sinéad Ní Uallacháin and Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh.I am very glad to have had time to write, to read, to cook, to drink coffee and wine in almost equal measure with friends.Go raibh maith agaibh uile a thacaigh liom i mbliana, as an gcairdeas agus as an gcomhluadar x