The holidays for
me have always meant taking a poignant, pensive reflection on my life, what
I've accomplished, and where I'm going. The days between Christmas and New
Year's Day have been a kind of purge of bad karma, a recharging of spirit, but
a determination to focus on the good,
celebrate the highs of the year, and set the course for the New Year. I don’t
believe in New Year’s Resolution, just a practical time to stop and smell the poinsettias,
clear the slate, and start again. Some years dealt with loss--loss of members
of my family, loss of love, loss of a family fortune, loss of opportunity. But
when I weigh the years and compare them with the lives of many others, I know I
am blessed and lucky. I've never lost hope, never lost my sense of humor, and
never lost my determination to live life my way. New Year's Day marks the end of reflection
and the start of the first day of the rest of my life. There really is a blank
page upon which it really is up to me--and no one else--to decide what will be
written.
When I hear the
words of "Auld Lang Syne"..."Should auld acquaintance be
forgot," I think, wait a minute, the mind of this writer never forgets—in a
good way. Memories have been a rich source of ideas for stories. Better yet, I
prefer to selectively remember the best of times and filter out the bad days. I
may not ever see you again in this lifetime face to face, but my mind and heart
never forgets. In love, friendship, and in common mission, I do remember you.
In love, I never stopped loving. One thing I've learned about the human heart
is its huge capacity to love others, even as we loyally give our hearts, souls,
and lives to one person. With parents, relatives, and friends no longer with
us, the happier memories have crowded out the grief. In friendship, I never
stopped caring and do hope there are more good times to share. In mission, it
was grand while it lasted and wish we could do it again. Some of you have
inspired my writing and, even better, inspired me during my life.
Even with the heart
of a poet and being a dreamer, there is a solid feet-on-the ground acceptance of
what is and what cannot be changed. Still, when I was very young, a friend
wrote in my yearbook the simple abbreviation, "RMA”—Remember Me Always. I
can say after all these years, I took that simple wish to heart as a promise to
keep. I have remembered, so auld acquaintances are not forgot.
Happy New Year, my
auld acquaintances, and to anyone else I offer a "cup o' kindness."
