Finding Joy in 2016

A lot of people have commented over the last few months about what a stinktastic year 2016 has been.  Entire late-night skits have been written hating on 2016, and with good reason.  It's been the most challenging year for so many.  From a strange election season (which I am not commenting on), to big celebrity deaths, to world-wide unrest, too many people I love with health concerns, there's just a film over 2016 for just about everyone.  I starting this year with a post called Spreading Joy and gosh darn it, I am not going to pile onto 2016, I am going to spread joy all the way to the end.

I decided to look at each of the four seasons, and pick out the Best moments of joy.  So here goes:

Winter
-Celebrating six years gluten free.
-Having Running Daddy's uncle and the Sweet Boy's great uncle (and also his hero) come from Chicago and then watching your son win the player of the game that weekend.
-Only one major snowstorm.  Just enough, no snowmageddon.
-A great hockey team filled with nice families, Good kids and the Best coaches.
-Watching the Sweet Boy win his hockey championship and smiling a little as the only team they lost to this season was the all-girls team.
-Reconnecting with your childhood friend after a very long time.  Thank you Facebook.
-Attending Dare to Be with Natalie Grant and Charlotte Gambill, and while it was a little out of my comfort zone it made an impact.
-Knowing just which friend would attend Dare to Be with me.  

Spring
-A lacrosse team made up of the Best boys who took their second place tournament win with grace, it was a tough one.
-A lacrosse coach so Good, that a parent of the winning team stopped us getting Slurpee's to tell us how impressed she was with him and that he was a role model for all coaches.  Yup, he's the Best.
-A Sunday Fun Day lacrosse pool party that just thinking about makes me smile.  Eleven year old boys slurping oysters....priceless.
-The Mount Vernon Spring Wine Festival where it stopped raining just in time to celebrate Running Daddy's birthday.
-Having the Sweet Boy tell me this was his Best year in school and the reason that made it his Best year was his teacher.

Summer
-A camp carpool filled with silly sweet boys.
-Walking into the last day of basketball camp and hearing the coach of a very prestigious boys school tell these kids, it's really all about your grades and that basketball will only take you so far.  Thank you coach, you are a Good man.
-Back to the beach with our friends and the Best hometown 4th of July parade ever.
-Hanging out with the Sweet Boy's kindergarten teacher and her family on the 4th of July.
-Finding Good dog trainers who take your once rambunctious but sweet dog and three weeks later turn him into the dog you always knew he could be.
-The Sweet Boy's pool party which was simple, but he said was the Best party he ever had.

Fall/Holidays
-Bad Lax Moms happy hours at the Inn and a group of ladies who make me laugh.
-Lake house happy hour fires, bonfires and breakfast fires.

-The happiest this dog has ever been and the fact that he is so Good now we can bring him on vacation.
-The first crab cake I have eaten in a restaurant in 7 years thanks to Dutch's and their no filler crab cake.
-Seeing the Sweet Boy play a shepherd in Lessons and Carols this year.
-Holidays with food, wine, family, grandparents who are about to be great grandparents, sister who is about to become a grandmother, kids, and friends who are like family.

So see, 2016 you were not all bad.  There were lots of moments of Good and joy.  Thank you to all of you who helped make the moments of Good this year.  Here's to 2017 being the Best.

Feel free to leave me your Good, Better, Best moments of 2016 in the comments below.