End of 2011

Since I started writing this blog, I've hit my self-imposed deadline of Monday morning every week. Well, it wouldn't be titled "Monday Morning Musings" if I posted on Tuesday, would it? This week, I missed the morning part. Instead, today was a day to celebrate Christmas with my grandchildren. Oh, sure, husband, daughter, and son-in-law were there, too. It's just such a delight in celebrating with young children. Consequently, my priorities shifted today and the blog took second place.

There is something about the week after Christmas that makes us look back on the year. Newspapers do a year in review, television news reports do entire segments on it. Perhaps it's that sense of ending that causes us to reflect on the immediate past.

Like many people, my husband and I put together a letter summarizing the past year for our far-flung friends and family. To do that, we start with the same old question "where did the year go?" We try to put a positive spin on the events—nobody wants to read doom and gloom during the holiday season. There have been years that weren't so good. The three years in a row when we lost a close family member or when the job market took a nose dive carrying one of us with it. Despite those events, there were good times like the birth of a grandchild or milestone birthdays. We figure it's a plus when we're still alive and kicking.

In 2011, the world took some weird turns. The aforementioned news programs will be sure to concentrate on war, revolutions, natural disasters, and so many other tragedies that it feels as if the only thing to be grateful for is that the year is over. Gee, what would happen if they only reported the good? Maybe nobody would believe it.

Besides celebrating that my children and grandchildren are happy, that we're all fairly healthy, that we have extended family and good friends who care about us, I'm happy that this year my writing career got back on track. Thanks to advice from other writers, I found a way to give new life to a book that I thought was over. That encouraged me to finish the sequel and renewed my enthusiasm for other stories that were languishing in my computer. Consequently, I'm looking forward to the new year and new opportunities.

I hope as you look back on 2011 you will find good things to celebrate.