Happy New Year

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve—and soon it will be 2008, a brand new year to start, with brand new ideas of how it should be and surprises to mess up those ideas. It has become my own tradition to put my journal together on New Year’s Eve. Since the arthritis in my hands made it so that it was painful to write in long hand, I have been using a 3-ring notebook for my journal. There are 11 notebooks—this year’s will be the 12th.

During the year I type entries on the computer, or if I’m visiting someone I bite the bullet and write them out with a pen on whatever paper I can get my hands on. I save emails that seem important, from people that are important to me—my friend, Bookworm, my kids, certain other friends. I put all of these records in a basket in our guest room, along with mementos picked up here and there, on travels or from restaurants of note, or programs from concerts or plays, birthday cards, Mother’s Day cards, etc. On New Year’s Eve day I bring them all out and put them all together in a new notebook—the entire year laid out in front of me. It never fails to surprise me—the things that have happened and how many of them I’ve forgotten—what made me anxious 9 months ago and is just stuff under the thing now.

Since the beginning I have chosen notebooks that have those clear plastic inserts on the cover and the spine, so I can insert cards or pictures in a collage that symbolizes the most important events of the year. The year I accompanied my friend, Sid, to New York, the cover was all about what I saw and ate there. This year there will probably be a lot of new granddaughter and Alaska and Mexican cruise stuff. And a picture from my retirement party!

I’m looking forward to looking backward over the year. It’s been a busy year with great news and awful news and travels and new family members and life changes—a rich year. I wish any of you who read this blog a

Happy New Year

I hope 2008 is a rich year for you.