2015 was the Year that..
by
Cliona Kelliher
- Thursday, December 31, 2015
That we visited Lough Boora for the first time, it's a beautiful place with an untamed feel and fantastic sculptures everywhere.
The year that I lost my lovely Dad. It was a difficult time, being aware that his time had come and being with him till the end. Holding his hand as he left this life will be forever a special moment for me. Here he is in his beloved Ballyheigue in County Kerry.
Here's my blog post about our visit: Lough Boora Parklands Visit.
I wrote about his passing here: Saying goodbye to Dad
The year that my daughter SÃomha graduated from her portfolio course and later started studying in the National College of Art and Design. I couldn't be prouder of her, especially as she was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in her Leaving Cert Year and had a really tough time.
Here's my trip down memory lane blog post: From Baby to Art Student
The year that I was diagnosed with a Carotid Artery Dissection (basically a tear in the major artery leading into the brain). Here's a photo I took in hospital, my eye was still droopy due to nerve damage in my brain.
I was clueless about the condition before my diagnosis and didn't know that it would change my life and result in a long struggle to get well again.
Here are posts relating some of what I went through:
The year we visited Glasgow (and Edinburgh) for the first time. I completely fell in love with Glasgow, such a beautiful city with an amazing history, incredible architecture and museums and so much more! I particularly loved visiting all the Charles Rennie Mackintosh sites and learning about the Glasgow School Movement and Art Nouveau.
I wrote about our trip here - Glasgow Trip August 2015
We also went to Donegal around this time, as we do every year. It was a strange holiday, I wasn't allowed to swim (due to my illness) which is always the highlight of my trips to Donegal (apart from hanging out with my best friend Sue) and I really missed that and felt a little sad and depressed. We did have a nice time though and Izzy got to hang out with her friend Alannah.
The year that I struggled with issues in work and combined frenetic end of year candle business tasks with day job whilst feeling very much under par. Happily, my candles did very well in shops and markets this year and I finally got to relax :)
Here's where I was finishing up: Winding Down for Christmas
It has been a strange life changing year and I'm looking forward to new things and new experiences in 2016 because no matter what happens in life, it's all part of the bigger jigsaw puzzle and we can learn and grow from every little thing.
Have a wonderful New Year everyone!
xx