Looking back on 2014 I realize that it has been a year of many changes for me. As with all changes, some were good, some were expected and some came as a complete surprise. In February of 2014 I left Suffolk University after 15 years. While this change was not totally of my own choosing, it did happen with my consent. That doesn’t mean I was prepared for this change or that I knew what to expect. In reality, I was totally disoriented by leaving a place I had come to know well but which may not have known me as well as it should. The pace and demands of that job were more than I wanted and more than I was willing to continue handling.

Once the decision was made and executed, I did not back or nor have I regretted one moment of leaving. That does not mean that I had any idea where I was headed. Not looking back isn’t the same as knowing which way to move forward. Closing this door meant opening many, many windows. Its taken time to know which steps to take next.

So I spent a few months’ unemployed, and then found a part-time IT project management job. Being unemployed allowed me time to get some ideas going for myself such as working on my novel figuring out what to do with the rest of my working life. I was looking for part-time so this has been great.

The new job gave me some grounding and still allowed me to deal with my father’s continuing health issues. These health issues included pneumonia in April, followed by rehab, followed by a TIA in May and some at home care, a move to assisted living. Then there was a small stroke in November and another stint in rehab, a diagnosis of non-ventricle AFIB, a very strong reaction to Coumadin and a decision to discontinue Coumadin. And then there was the part about getting all his finances organized. As they say, growing old is not for the faint of heart. And learning to navigate elder care is not easy.

While I didn’t meet my goal of completing my second novel, WEDDINGS ARE MURDER, I moved it forward and accomplished a lot of planning and plotting. And I am most of the way there now. I anticipate having my book out to beta readers in early to mid February. My writing goals for the year are to publish Weddings Are Murder and complete TRIALS ARE MURDER. Ambitious maybe and certainly a lot of work but those are my writing goals for 2015.