My 2013 — A Year of Recovery and Reflection

Originally written in December 2013 as "My 2013" — updated with clarity, format, reflections in 2026

It’s been a while since I last posted, but I thought it would be good to sum up my year.

2013 began roughly. I was still mourning Mum deeply and only a month or so out of hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. My time with the boys was limited, and the divorce was getting messy.  

I focused on getting back on my feet, spending a lot of time trying to work out who I was again. I put more effort into the time I had with the boys, knowing it was precious and limited.

For a while, life was simply about surviving — day in, day out. The biggest change came when I got a little Westie puppy called Samson, who quickly grew into a lovely companion and friend. 

Image 2. A white Westie puppy in a plastic box and sat upon a purple blanket. This is the picture of Samson being transferred to our house]

[Image 3. James, eighteen months old is lifting our fluffy white westie, Samson on to the sofa so he can sit with him]

I spent a wonderful couple of weeks with my aunt and uncle and started to feel better. Piano lessons kept me grounded and out of trouble, and I was honoured to teach my other aunt and uncle, which helped build a stronger relationship with them. They’re doing really well.

The divorce began turning in my favour, and my time with the boys improved. From August, I once again had 50/50 access, and things continued to go well. I enjoyed a great week at Detling Summer Conference, which gave me space to breathe and reflect.

William started school in September and absolutely loves it. He’s thriving, even if I still find the school‑run routine difficult. James continued at nursery, and it’s been wonderful watching him grow, make friends, and light up when he sees me at pick‑up.

[Image 4. William, 4 years old. Stands in front of a gold car fot his first day of school.

He is wearing a green jumper, with a yellow polo shirt underneath, and black trousers]

Financially, I went bankrupt — but honestly, it lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Things feel more stable now, and I’m grateful for that.

In November, I had the honour of being best man at one of my best friend’s weddings — my first time. It was a truly wonderful day and a reminder of how far I’d come.

I was exceptionally proud of William as he played the Nativity donkey at school. 

[Image 5. William is kneeling down and smiling as he is dressed as a donkey with a bowl of carrots in front of him]

[Image 6. William is dressed in a brown donkey costume.

He walks across the wooden school stage]

Christmas was busy, hectic, and hard, but worth every moment. 

[Image 7. A busy full and messy room. My dad is sat watching the boys. The boys are wearing green and blue pyjamas, standing as they open presents]

[Image 8. William in his blue and green pyjamas facing a pile of wrapped presents]

[Image 9. William and James is on a cream sofa opening their red stockings.

They are both wearing green and blue pyjamas. James is looking at the camera and smiling]

My health still troubles me, but it’s something I’m learning to accept.

Through it all, God has blessed my life, helping me turn things around in ways I can’t fully describe. I’m deeply grateful for that.

All in all, 2013 has been a good year — challenging, yes, but rewarding too. My only regret is seeing my friends very little, though that’s probably a normal yearly regret.

Here’s to 2014: another year of growth, challenge, and grace.

2026 Reflection 

Looking back at this post, I can feel just how fragile I was in 2013. It reads like someone trying to rebuild a life from the ground up, one small piece at a time, without really knowing what the next day would bring. I was still raw from losing Mum, unsteady after being sectioned, and trying to work out how to be a dad — co‑parenting in the middle of a divorce that felt bigger than me. At the time, I thought I was just surviving the year; I didn’t realise I was laying the foundations for everything that came after.

What I also couldn’t have known then was that, after another quiet spell on the blog, 2014 was about to change everything as I stepped into the unexpected world of blogging. I would start writing about home schooling, educating the boys, parenting, especially single-parenthood— and become the lifestyle blogger that, thirteen years later, I still am. All of it began when the blog suddenly exploded after a post about stereotyping. Back then I was gripping onto life, trying to stabilise, rebuild, and grow — never imagining that writing these early posts would lead me to friendships, or that they would eventually lead me to Hannah, our blended family, and the day we married. None of that was visible from where I stood in 2013.

What strikes me now is how much of that year was about rediscovery. I didn’t see it then, but the slow work of finding myself again had already begun. Even the things that felt like failures at the time, like bankruptcy, were actually turning points that gave me space to breathe. And in the middle of it all came the blessing of Samson arriving.

Reading this now, I can see how much strength it took just to keep going. I didn’t have language for it then; I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, one word and sentence at a time. This post shows the beginning of a shift — the moment where survival slowly started turning into rebuilding. It’s strange to think how far that rebuilding has taken me: through years of single parenting, through losing Dad, and through finding new stability.

Thirteen years on, I can look back at 2013 with a kind of compassion I didn’t have for myself at the time. I see someone who was hurting, yes, but also someone who refused to give up — someone who kept showing up for his boys and kept trying to find hope in the middle of a chaotic life. I’m grateful for him, because without that version of me, I wouldn’t be the man I am now.