Still Adjusting One Year Later...

One year ago today I wrote my first post on this blog. The post was about a sign that has been in my house for a really long time. Last year the sign was in my bathroom as a sort of amusement for myself. You see, at the time, my bathroom was gutted, had no walls, no shower, no bathtub and would be a daily reminder of how broken my "normal" had become. I am happy to say the bathroom has finally been renovated and that the Riveras can bathe in peace.

This is not, however, to claim that our "normal" has been realigned. To the untrained eye, our home is still missing its "sweet" factor and as we adjust, our sign has moved out into the hallway. It really belongs on the kitchen door so people will laugh when the doorknob falls off in their hand, or on our front door where people are greeted with my paper number sign instead of the actual house numbers that "normal" houses have. If the sign were bigger, I would drape it over the stairway to the basement that remains unfinished and sickly since our flood...

But the sign is not big. Its message still is, though. Each time I see it and think of it I am reminded of some pretty powerful things:

• Life is not perfect.
• My world is always changing.
• My home is uniquely mine.
• My normal does not have to live up to anyone else's standards.
• I am still growing, learning and becoming.

And while I wholeheartedly agree with Oprah Winfrey's sentiments that a home should rise up to meet you, at this point in my life I am grateful to have a home to meet me at any level. The fact that it happens to be this home warms my heart as I know that it rises to meet me in spirit and patiently awaits each healing repair as finances allow.

So while I suppose this post should be a reflection upon all that Rivera Runs Through It has accomplished in its first year on the Internet, I am instead thinking of my home. That may seem strange, dear reader, but in my heart these two things are intertwined. I have written every post under this roof, within these walls, behind these doors. With every post I write I find myself closer to healed spirit. As this house heals, so do I. 

In the past year the bathroom was renovated (including all of the leaks!), the roof was resealed, the tenants' apartment got a new door, we got a new dryer, we fixed our own washing machine, bought the tenants a new refrigerator, got my husband's car out of the backyard and back on the road and got my grandfather's clock to start ticking again. When people visit they see my missing numbers, my broken doorknobs, ancient lighting fixtures and my ugly basement, but as I live I see the progress. I see the adjustments. I know I'm getting there.


Here on Rivera Runs Through It I see the progress and the adjustments as well. It is amazing how much I have learned in the past year. I want to thank you for being here today and all the days you visit. I feel incredibly lucky to have the group of followers on this blog that I do and I hope to continue to connect with you in the years to come.

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Blogiversary!