My Mother as a Toddler, with Doll

My Mother as a Toddler, with Doll, originally uploaded by stelladanza's confections.

Happy Holidays! I hope you are still enjoying the Twelve Days of Christmas, a tradition I hold dear.

I'm sharing these snapshots of my mother from 1927. This is my first Christmas without her. As I went through the ritual of pared-down decorating this year, I did feel her presence. Bittersweet memories.

Sunbonnet Girl & Toys

Sunbonnet Girl & Toys, originally uploaded by stelladanza's confections.

I found this early 20th century vernacular photo a few weeks ago at a local antique shop. I love the subject matter of the little girl in her sunbonnet surrounded by her picture book, dollhouse, dollies, and teddy bears.

As December arrives and the focus is on wrapping up loose ends and preparing for a new slate in 2011, I'm reflecting on this year and manifesting what's next and participating in the #reverb10 project.

My words of the year for 2010 (which I selected last December based on Christine Kane's blog) were "comfort & joy" and "transformation".

Six weeks into the year, I lost my beloved mother, and comfort & joy and transformation were engulfed by grief.

I found comfort & joy through transformation (and a healing path through my grief) by participating in Christine Kane's Uplevel Your Life and Uplevel Your Business programs. Thank you, Christine, for providing that path.

I have selected my word for the New Year: flourishing!