A year ago, a continent ago, an economic cycle ago, we were just at the start of the great journey which we are still embarked upon. In January 2008 we were just starting the first stage of our journey: the enormous task of filling in the forms and gathering the supporting documents to submit to the Canadian authorities as part of my sponsorship to become a permanent Canadian resident. Since then, we have faced countless challenges and obstacles. The economic crisis in particular has dogged us every step of the way, and continues to do so, meaning that we are still living out of suitcases in our mother-in-law’s house while we search in vain for work – hardly the Canadian dream we had set our sights on.

Do I consider that we have been unlucky? Absolutely not. We have been very fortunate to have the support of family and friends every step of the way, without whom I don’t know what we would have done at times. In the good times the love and support available from those close to us may be recognised, but is very easy to take for granted. It is only in hard times like those we have experience in the past year that this love and support manifests itself in ways that leave us in no doubt as to how lucky we really are.

The economic situation may have made things very difficult for us, but we are hardly alone in that. Millions have been thrown into financial ruin, losing their jobs, homes and life savings. Conditions have seen to it that we are struggling to get by, but our house in England is not likely to be repossessed, we have no debts at the moment other than our mortgage, and we should remember that we are voluntarily unemployed. The latter may not seem like much consolation, but jumping off the merry-go-round rather than being pushed has significant psychological advantages.

Do we regret our decision? I can honestly say: not one bit. In spite of everything, we are still enjoying ourselves, making the most of the adventures and opportunities our new life brings us each day. Yes, it would have been easier if we had foreseen the economic apocalypse and timed things differently, not least because such 20/20 foresight would have enabled us to clear up on the money markets into the bargain. It would have been nice to know the lottery numbers in advance too! Whether having to do things the hard way is such a bad thing we will only be able to judge with considerable hindsight. The challenges we have faced have forced us to learn so much, not least about ourselves and each other. These lessons can only stand us in good stead in the future. Who knows what opportunities the unexpected backwaters we are now navigating will bring? We didn’t embark on this endeavour expecting the same lives as we had in England only with the added novelty of some snow on the front lawn.

Change always brings unexpected consequences, some good, some inevitably bad. What we need to learn is how to see the opportunities in each of them, taking as much pleasure in learning from our setbacks and failures as we do in celebrating our successes, and always remembering how lucky we are to have our loved ones supporting us, no matter how near or far they may be. If I have one resolution in 2009 it is to learn this lesson well. If I succeed, my reflections on 2009 have a very good chance of being positive, no matter what fate chooses to throw at us.