There were days I thought menopause was chipping away at my body.

And there were days I felt like menopause was chipping away at my soul.

Pieces of me were falling off bit by bit.

But the good news, the encouraging word, is that through the process, the mosaic comes back together.

Maybe the spaces in that mosaic are the new bits of us.

Maybe they represent  a different freedom, space we weren’t open to before.

Or maybe, truth be told, they represent our wrinkles and crinkles.

Mosaics take a long time to make.

They also demand vision, creativity, an appreciation for color,  patience, and an understanding of the parts that make the whole.

The whole old and oh so new you and me.

To the new year!

To the new us!

The Mosaic above: This flower mosaic graces a wall at McGuffy Park, where my grandson Mazen likes to play in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Cookies!  Celebrate mosaics with Froot Loop Mosaic Cookies, the creation of blogger Jodi Durr of Meaningful Mama.Find the recipe here on her post.

For an invigorating activity in the new year, try this site that enables you to make a Roman mosaic online!

Barbara Younger

Barbara Younger blogs from her home in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Along with Friend for the Ride: Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster (http://friendfortheride.com), she writes books for children and adults. She lives in an old house with her husband Cliff. and collections of everything from dolls to buttons to bookmarks. She's the mother of two grown daughters and the grandmother to one adorable baby boy!