Last year on this day my family and I were filled with the mixed emotions and nervous anticipation that came with the prospect of a new adventure in a beautiful place far from home.

I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach as the reality of the move hit my son one night during our first visit here together. He suddenly didn’t want to go to the little family-owned Italian place we had chosen for dinner. He wanted to go somewhere he “knew.” As I tried to ask why the sudden change of opinion, he grew quiet and turned his head toward the window so I couldn’t see his face. As I prodded him to tell me what was wrong, he finally turned to me with tears in his eyes and said “It just doesn’t feel right.” It was a heartbreaking moment, and I felt very guilty.

That image of my frightened and anxious son never left me.

And now, after nearly a full year filled with emotional highs and lows, beautiful sights, unexpected disappointments, cherished memories and trying times, I find myself once again optimistic for a new chapter in our adventure, despite challenges that still lie ahead.

My wish for my family in 2013 is a return to the people and places we hold dear… to familiarity… to things and places we “know.”

My wish for you is that you not fear change — but don’t rush to it either.