Happy Xmas Letter 2011

This missive comes to you from the living room of the new house we’re renting. There’s a fire in the fireplace. The accordion from my somewhat ill-fated attempts is across the room. I’m sitting on the old loveseat I meant to get rid of before we moved but didn’t because we couldn’t afford to replace it. This house is twice the size of the house we “owned” and as such I’ve unpacked boxes I haven’t seen in years. I am living different decades of my life simultaneously. There’s an old very 70s afghan on the back of said loveseat that Nana Grant made probably when I was 2. On Sunday friends in town and our family will go in the deep woods and cut down nature and bring it in the house. We’ll bring a hot soup and cocoa with us. We have high ceilings in this house so the tree will have an overbearing majestic place in the living room. It shall be beautiful. I’m happy the year is ending here----our family back in Greenville where we started back in 2003 when we decided to move to the middle of nowhere.

The year comes to me in waves. I’m trying to think short letter highlights but none of that makes sense. Maybe it is best to organize by people.

Julian and I continue to defy odds and remain happily for the most part married to each other . Next year will be ten years. How’s that for a shotgun wedding that lasted? Diego continues to be the most tenderhearted creature on the planet. He presently thinks he’s the 5th Beatle (we are going through the Beatle stage). Lives for Lego and Magic and his current heroes are Houdini and George Harrison though his heart still lies with David Bowie. I love my eight year old. Paloma remains a force to be reckoned with or rather when we are tired we just let her tempest fury run its course. She usually uses her powers for good rather than evil. It warms my heart that she’s begging to play Kate Bush cds in the car. They are both wanting to take up musical instruments and frequently I cook dinner to them banging things out upstairs.

They have, by the way, the best freaking kids’ room ever. Top floor over the two-car garage. Just them and their imaginations and a gazillion art supplies and an old eMac papa souped up for them. I’m proud, ecstatic, and scared of their creations.

Let’s see. There’s me. Financially? I still suck eggs through a straw. However, be that as it may. I ‘ve had a number of fun strange career moves:

• I became a public community radio DJ. LOVE THIS JOB. It’s compelled me to really listen to music again. Mondays-- www.kqny919.org

• I vowed that two thirds of my short story collection would be published or accepted for publication by year’s end ---19 out of 23 stories found homes! No one seems to want to publish it as a collection though so I’m taking matters into my own hands in January. With Portland artist and former Whittierite Tess Rodriguez I’ll be putting it up as a kickstarter project come January. Stay tuned!

• I’ll finally be teaching some cool course offerings come Spring 2013 at FRC---I rewrote the journalism curriculum and it is mine!
• I’m closer and closer to finishing my Germany book once and for all.

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And I truly can say that for the most part, I like what I do. Teaching. Writing. Mothering. and every once in awhile trips to the dark side of life. Perfect balance of sorts. And you know--though he pretends otherwise, prince of a husband. Best of the best. Truly.

But you know what really made this year? It’s that there are still some very cool people on the planet and I seem to know a whole lot of them. For a depressive? I’m pretty freaking positive.

Was there a whole bunch of crazy sad stuff this year? You bet. I’m not aging gracefully. I’m not very gracious about getting older and people I love are dying and aging as well. I had migraines this year that I thought were surely signaling my impending doom. My grandfather died. House. Money. Stress. Wallowing in obscurity. Fearing more death. Less money. Stress. Migraines. Cycle. Rinse . Repeat.

But there is hope, isn’t there? Protests from the usual suspects, the not so usual suspects, We adopted a dog that had been a foreclosure victim. We now live in the middle of the woods. In January I moved into an office in downtown Greenville and share the office with the amazing writer, Jane Braxton Little. It was her idea to become officemates and I’m glad she thought to get me out of the home office and to take everything a bit more seriously. I’ve been able to cultivate a good many other writerchicks around the world to be friends and comrades in arms. Where would I be without Ariel Gore? Bonnie Ditlivsen? Jenny Hayes? Jenny Forester? Michelle Gonzales? Maia Williams?

And Greenville and Quincy. I love both these towns and am happy to be one of the people in both neighborhoods. Could I survive without the kindness shown to me daily by Pat Bradley and her family? Or my mother continually lending a hand without being asked to do so? It must suck to have an artist daughter at times.

Most of all what made my year was getting to know my cousin Michelle Bernier---possibly the strongest most amazing woman I know yet. She takes that Garcia strength to a whole new level, has great kids and a prince of a husband too. If nothing else, sitting in Michelle’s house and piecing together various family mysteries and tears was nothing short of miraculous.

So that is the year. Good friends. Good writing. Good lovers. Good family. Enough goodness to shine through the bad. Tomorrow we adopt a kitten at the shelter to make Diego more at ease at the two he lost from the wilderness. New life in our lives. Can anyone ask for more?

Merry Christmas. Happy Solstice. Happy Hannukah.

May you find your way. May you find your way out. May you find what you are searching for.

Peace, MEG