Most people find the last day of the year as a day of putting the last year in perspective. I’m no different than most people & can’t help but to reflect on the days gone by. This year started out rocky for me where I needed to accept the fact my mom is in the early stages of dementia and deal with the fact that she no longer remembers my birthday, or other special events she was on top of.

The next thing that hit me & my family hard was my sister diagnosis of brain cancer. It took almost 3 months to find out what was going on with her. Finally after many trips to Johns Hopkins we learned of the cancer. Her cancer is a rare form of brain cancer it’s hopeful she will survive it.

After that news there was good news ~ the birth of my new grandson Zachary. He was born on May 13 and his presence in the world continues to feel my heart with joy.

I can’t explain well enough how much joy Zachary’s birth has brought to my life, especially when there was so much uncertainty prior to his birth. Through the year I realized (once again) how much my children & grandchildren mean to me.

This year I also reached a milestone ~ I turned 50. I am glad to have reached that milestone & my kids & grandchildren made my birthday a very special day with a trip to Gettysburg. They took me to eat at O’Roukes & later we had our picture taken dressed in Civil War attire. It was fantastic.

On top of the birthday present I received my kids & grandchildren, I took a trip to New York City to see my friend, Karen Carpenter’s show Love, Loss, & What I Wore. Karen is directing the show, which is based on IIlene Beckerman’s book of the same title. Nora Ephron & her sister Delia wrote the script.

It was a delight to stay with Karen & to see her finally achieve her goal after working so hard to get to that point. I am going to see the show again in February with Kathy O’Brien & Terri Lesh and can’t wait. We will be making a weekend of it.

The next exciting part of my birthday celebration is when Laura, a Vermont College classmate, came to stay with me for a few days. It was great sharing road trips such as Lancaster Amish Country, Flight 93 Memorial site, & Gettysburg. Plus I took her passed Three Mile Island, the state capitol, and the Susquehanna River. It was a wonderful time with her.

So now here we are ~ at the end of the year ~ only minutes away until it’s over & a new decade begins. I’m looking forward to the new year and the opportunities I will have to expand my writing profession.