Hope you all had a wonderful long weekend with your family and friends.What made your time enjoyable?

Perhaps you were like me - my favourite parts were in the preparation and eating of dinners where friends & family gathered for food and, most importantly, amazingly heartfelt conversations. Quality time with those you care about is an important love language. Taking the time to put away the distractions and really be present with others is really nourishing for our minds, bodies, and souls.  Here is some food for thought to pass along to all of you: how do we incorporate this precious time into our daily routines?!

The holiday season is among us. For me, this season is one of the most beautiful times of the year. What is your favourite part of the holidays?

For many, it is a time of celebration when people reunite with their family and friends and have delicious meals and spend quality time together. With our busy lives, this time of year serves us with the beautiful reminder to cherish our relationships.

The bright light displays remind me to spread the holiday cheer wherever I go, especially with my friends and family.

Like many Canadians, turkey dinner is a special tradition in my family.  During dinner, we go around the table and say what we are thankful for.  This Thanksgiving as I looked around the table, I thought how special these gatherings are. People put their time and effort into being present and into providing an over-abundance of nourishment for our bodies, minds, and souls. Each year the makeup of attendees changes, yet the dinners are all special.

On December 31st, I always take time to reflect on the events of the past year and the lessons I have learned.  Through the ups and the downs, I have experienced so much this last year and I would love to share 12 important lessons with you. 2012 was an amazing year for me. Let me share with you my reasons why through the top 12 lessons:

Happy New Year!!!! Welcome to 2012

I hope you all had a wonderful time of renewal, celebrating with your family and friends.

For my part, I had a really great time but must confess that the holidays went by far too quickly.  It is a week-and-a-half of hanging out with family and friends and eating way too much.  It is hard to see everyone, and I missed seeing some close friends this holiday.  However, I had a lot of fun over the holidays and made plans for the new year.