If you love photographing like I do, it’s fun to look back at your pictures from the year, and whittle them down to a representative few. Here, I picked one  image from each month, beginning with January in the upper left. Overall, it gives a pretty good picture of my year.

2010 Year in Pictures

January – The death of my father-in-law brought an unexpected trip to an icy Niagara Falls, Ontario. This was the most traumatic experience of the year.

February – Highs and lows; the glorious joy of music in New Orleans, combined with an Indianapolis Colts loss to the Saints at the Superbowl.

March – The end of our son’s 13 year hockey career; both a loss and transition to new things. He was going to a College where there is no hockey team.

April – Tapestries in Oregon! We were able to drive from wine and redwoods country in California and through the incredibly beautiful State of Oregon.

May – The unbelievable therapeutic effect of horses on humans; this on a farm in Orillia, Ontario. My niece with her horse.

June – My dog, Daisy, at 10 years old, still my constant anam cara (soul friend).

July – Folk dancers in the amazing city of Prague in the Czech Republic; my first visit there.

August – Discovering a field of sunflowers on my way home.

September – A wonderful road trip across the U.S. with my daughter, Michelle, culminated in a visit to Frank Sinatra’s grave site in Palm Springs, California.

October – Back to our Canadian roots. The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, showcased by the colors of autumn.

November – One of the highlights of the year in Indianapolis was the opening of the Art and Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This photo was taken there.

December – More tapestries in nature. First snow at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis.

We get so locked up in what’s going on at the moment that sometimes we forget the fullness of our lives. In looking back at the year, I see that I was very lucky to have had several opportunities to travel. The year began with the death of my husband’s 91 year old father. He was ready to go but it was still a shock and I witnessed much love in that family. Throughout the rest of the year, we were able to experience the beauty of our home in Indianapolis, our roots in Canada, the western United States and European culture.

We saw our kids in transition, each moving on to new stages, and moving out of the house. This meant that we also experienced a transition, as empty nesters and a chance to redefine our relationship.

Life goes on and change is constant.

If you’re not a picture taker, you could look over your journal or your daily calendar and sum up each month that way. What were the major events of the year and how did they affect you and those around you? What were the small moments that stand out for you? What was not so great? Can you let go of that? What did you not do that you’d like to in the coming year?

Here’s to a happy and inspired new year!