Another year has come and gone.   Midnight came, the ball dropped, and 2017 went the way of yesterday.  2017 was a quiet year for my little family, a resting, healing, rebuilding, waiting kind-of-year.  At the same time this past year was challenging, stretching, and a bit awkward. Why awkward?  Sometimes, at least for me, the gap and silence carved by waiting can leave a wake that is both disorienting and confusing.  Sitting silent on the bench is hard and yet it is also a necessary part of the journey.  To this end I remind myself that 2017 was a season, much like the bitter hard realities that 2016 and my…