New Year's Eve

I've been writing our January newsletter today, so I've had New Year's Eve on my mind.  It is such a strange, nostalgic, evening.  I always reflect on the last 12 months, and realize things that I never noticed before from not having stopped to look.  (Seems to be happening to me a lot lately.)

The past year has been one of immense change for me, with graduation, getting a real job, dating, family stuff...basically in just about every aspect.  It's been good; also exhausting.  I'm looking forward to a fresh start.  There are some things I want to do differently this year.  I haven't fully thought out my resolutions yet, but that nostalgic/motivated feeling will be lingering over me the next few weeks as I hammer them out.

Here are a couple of thoughts that are going into this month's newsletter:

"And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;
To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury -
Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,
And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen."

~Thomas Hood

Here, here!

"New Year's Eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights."

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Mabie