Happy New Year

Well, we've made it to 2009. While I can't say 2008 was the best year ever, it did have a few noteworthy rememberances and I must say that I rather enjoyed actually having a date on New Year's Eve.

It's never really been a holiday I've celebrated. As a child, most new year's celebrations were either spent with Oma Strelau, who paid us kids a dollar if we went and closed the living room curtains, ate our dinner, took a bath, stayed quiet, went to bed on time...yes, Oma Strelau just brought each child about $10.00 and instead of my parents paying for babysitting, she paid us kids - remembering that makes me smile.

I remember high school and a particular new year's eve the year Billy and the Beaters sang "for this moment" as they counted down the hits of the 80's on the radio...it seemed like everywhere you turned that song was on the radio or on tv...and I was home on new years, yet again wishing for a date or someone to spend time with...my brothers were all out with friends and I was home alone.

Most of the rest of the years I spent either with some friends - sort of watching and celebrating as an extended part of their family or I just stayed home and was in bed early.

This year was different. The date was lovely and mostly just as I imagined it in my head with a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

I don't know what the year is going to hold...there's a lot going on with family not feeling well and jobs being lost and looked for both among my family and my friends.

The end of 2008 I adopted a word of Joy - let's carry that through 2009 and add the word hope to that as well.

Without hope and joy, life's pretty empty. I wish you hope and joy.

Happy New year friends.