We will be on the road starting tomorrow to find some warmer
weather, but for now, I will finish my year in review.
July was uneventful except that our daughter
Carrie had her 30th birthday.
Where does the time go? Otherwise,
we just rambled on like usual. This photo is apropos of nothing except that
Carrie and I both like butterflies and it was taken in July.
In August, Greg and I drove north through New
Hampshire with a stop to drive up Mount Washington, through Maine, through New
Brunswick, Canada and onto Prince Edward Island – a place I’ve wanted to go for
a very long time. Then we came home via
Nova Scotia, then Campobello Island and Maine where we stayed a couple of
nights with our friends Linda and Brian.
A good trip all around.
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| Looking out over the lake in Brian and Linda's back yard. |
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| We got lucky with a loon siting right at golden hour. |
Aside from the fact that I consider Opening Day
of Baseball as the true New Year Day, my year usually really begins in
September. I get busier with meetings
and such. This year was no exception. But we had some fun, too. Our neighbors, the McGuires, had a great
pool-warming party and that doesn’t mean we all stood in their pool and peed. It was a beautiful, mild but cool night and a
wonderful gathering of neighbors and friends.
But only the kids went in the pool.
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| This is Walker Pond, not the McGuire's pool. |
October was uneventful except for the gorgeous
autumn leaves.
I started physical therapy in November for a
sciatica problem and though I faithfully attended all sessions and did the
exercises, I didn’t get any relief that was long-lasting. So I was feeling a bit off-centered and old
in November. But we had a very nice
Thanksgiving with the kids at a local restaurant and I continue to feel very
thankful for so many things in my life with the possible exception of
compressed discs in my back that my doctor says is “normal aging.” Oh, well…
Now, here we are at the end of December and the
end of another year. My mother’s health
continues to decline and another good friend has been diagnosed with
cancer. News of the world does its best
to try to push me into despair. But
every day, I witness human kindness, small and grand, and it gives me
hope. I’ve been watching out my kitchen
window seeing the birds, squirrels and chipmunks going about their daily
business. I think that they know more
than I do about the resilience of our Mother, the Earth. And in our inevitable way, we will join the
birds and squirrels and Chip and Dale in going forward into a new year to
witness the wonders and splendors of the Earth, small and grand.
My hope for you all as we enter 2015 is that your
joys outweigh your sorrows on every count.
Blessed be.
