So much has happened in the past year that it’s hard to remember our state of mind one year ago. I do know that we marked one more year of owning a boat that wouldn’t take us where we wanted to go, and one more year of seeing from our windows only the house across the street and not exotic, ever-changing ports of call. There were family situations, too, that tempered the usual optimism a new year brings. Our son and daughter-in-law were unintentionally separated by distance because of work, our niece was in a legal holding pattern with no resolution in sight, and a dear friend was holding on to life and gradually losing her will to fight.
Today, the first day of 2012, we are boatless, houseless, and with a different view out our windows, even if it isn’t from the back deck of a new boat. Our son and daughter-in-law are happily now in the same place and our niece’s situation has resolved and she’s looking forward to a better 2012. Sadly, our sick friend departed early in 2011 and left a big hole in our lives, one that our fondest memories can’t quite fill.
Now, for the first time in many years, we face the new year without the agonizing reappraisal that usually marks January 1st. There may be uncertainty still, but we’re looking to the future with hope, excitement and peace.
We’re on the right track.