Every year in February, I'm grateful for one thing: it's short. By February, I feel as if spring is so close, yet still so terribly far away, and my mood is generally at its lowest and darkest point in the whole year. So, every year in March, I'm thankful for one thing: it's not February anymore! Yay!

This past February was a rough one, with our annual family stomach virus hitting right on schedule and killing nearly two full weeks in one blow. Then we had a number of little chaotic, crazy family things going on. All of that led me to write fewer blog posts in a month than I think I ever had, and most of those were linked out to The Second Road in order to fulfill my commitment to them.

But now February is over, March is here and I'm ready to pull myself together with a sigh of relief. I hope to get back to posting here more often and regularly. I have a few exciting things coming up for me this month (because it's blessed March and not hideous February), and I can't wait to share.

Happy March, people!

I've found that holidays are the mile markers in my life's highway. As I pass them, I can say: last year I was there, this year I'm someplace else. I can take stock of what's different and what's remained the same.

And this is especially true as the end of the year approaches, and I send out cards with the usual cheerful summary of what our family has done. There was one year — either at the height of my husband's acting out or just after he'd admitted his sex addiction and entered recovery — when I didn't send any out at all. I just wasn't able to look at where we were then.

And as I look back on the time since I passed that last marker, I see a lot of progress. Christmas tends to be a stressful holiday for me: loaded with expectations, filled with family commitments (and all of the crazy dynamics that come into play), devoid (for me) of any religious meaning anymore, in a season low on sunlight and high on depression. I'd made progress around a lot of things in my life, but Christmas seemed to get worse and more complicated each year.

But something has turned around this year. Whether it's my work on the 12 Steps or my yearlong focus on Happy or my improved relationship with my God or just another year of recovery work gone by, I'm in a better place this year than last. I'm not feeling the weight of quite as much holiday stress. I'm better able to let go of other people's expectations and focus on what I need for myself. I'm having more mature, loving, healthy interactions with extended family and friends.

I haven't been perfect, of course. I'm not fixed. I'm still (surprise!) human. I've had resentments flair up and I've regressed to acting like a snitty teenager at times, but it's progress. And I'll take it.

Of course, there are some good things about February (other than it's mercifully shorter than other months) and this year, one of my favorites was (drumroll, please): you all were here to share it with me. So, here's my big thank you all for being here and (as always) a little linky love. You all made February brighter.

• Shelli at Mama of Letters (our winner again in February -- I should find a way to give out prizes next month...)
• Moanna at Desperately Seeking Serenity
  
• Casdok at Mother of Shrek
• storyteller at Sacred Ruminations
• The Stagnant Artist
• Marta at Writing in the Water
• Pat at Child Lost
• Rae at Rae's Confessions
• Guilty Secret at What Guilty and Baddie Did Next
  
• Bella at Beyond the Map
• Shawn at Letters to my Daughters
• Mantramine
• R.E.H. at Ramblings of a Madman
  

• Karen at Cheerio Road
  
• Just Another Addict at IV League Grad (Note: This blog is currently invitation only.)
• Melissa at Just Your Average Invisible Woman
• Slutty McWhore
• Anybeth at Swimming in Clear Water
• Jay at Two Women Blogging
• Danielle at The BiPolar Diaries
  
• Fiona at i0na fi0na
• The Junky's Wife
• LadyBug at LadyBug Crossing
  
• Mama Zen at The Zen of Motherhood
• Kristi at Autism, Blessings, Challenges
• ~e~ at Rantings
  
• MomVee at Watering Place
  

• Chatti Patti at Chatti Patti Strikes Again
• Misery Marketing at Confessions of a Serenephobic
• Wayward Son at Crystal Clean Persuasion
  
• Pam at Sobriety is Exhausting
• Vicarious Rising
  
• Woman.Anonymous7
  
• Babz at Ask Aunt B
  
• Ingrid at Boricua in Texas
  
• The Discovering Alcoholic
• R at Discovering Recovering
  
• Mama at The Elmo Wallpaper
  
• msb at From the First Chakra
  
• The Last Chance Texaco
  
• Ev (aka One Wacky Mom) at My Life Is Murphy's Law
  
• mommy~dearest at The Quirk Factor
  
• Such Simple Pleasures
• Recovering Wino at Thorn in My Flesh (Note: this blog is currently invitation only)
• Velvet Verbosity
• Maddy at Whitterer on Autism
  

And:

• Virginia
• postpaleo
• Sophie in the Moonlight
• Chaitra
• Mary2Again
• Me Too
• Tigermom

Thanks again for stopping by!