Here I am, in this week between Christmas and New Year’s, looking back over the year. No matter what has transpired, I entertain a certain amount of fondness for every year I’ve lived through. Each is a mix of good and bad, 2021 no different in that respect from any other. For me, personally, there was a lot of grandness, a lot of soft loveliness, of course some small difficultiies, but a great deal of good luck and good will.
There was a lot of writing. There was a lot of painting.
I had many thoughts, both good and bad. I am glad about the good and sorry for the bad.
I turned 70, my sons turned 42, 41, and 39. Miles turned 12 and Rufus turned about a million. Among us, hundreds of pictures were taken; silly texts were shared; games were played; walks were taken; TWELVE boxes of Mallomars were eaten; movies were watched; opinions were stated; puns were made; dogs and cats were loved upon and loved us back; meals were shared; bread was baked; pizzas were cooked; road trips were taken; pounds were gained; vaccinations were had; bikes were ridden; friendships were renewed, deepened or lost; books were read; ideas were hatched; pictures were painted; plans were made; plans were canceled.
The sun and moon rose and set; the moon waxed and waned; seasons wandered in and out again; foxes, opossum, raccoons, hawks, owls, wrens, cardinals, squirrels, and deer passed through our yard; blue jays shouted; chickadees chattered. We were all loved to pieces by each other. Calendar pages were turned over and over and soon a new year will stand before us. What will it bring?
I hope we will turn 71, 43, 42, 40, 13 and 1,000,001. I hope Covid becomes a thing of the past. Beyond that, I’m open.
“It isn’t normal to know what we want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” ― Abraham Harold Maslow
“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” ― Noel Langley, The Wizard of Oz
“Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch the one you love, to try again.” ― Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever
If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. And if you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.
Thanks for listening,
Kay
P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”
