Even as 2021 waits patiently on the doorstep, strong winds of change are sweeping away the cobwebs of the year past.
2021 is going to be a good one.
Or not.
I remember last year. I remember gathering with family and friends and shouting down the countdown to 2020.
“10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1,” we all shouted in merry unison.
And then the clock struck midnight and we all screamed, “happy new year” and hugged and kissed each other like people do at new years.
I like that part.
None of us knew what was ahead.
And, of course, the same applies this year.
Who knows?
As 2021 appears I wish as always for the safety and protection of all whom I hold dear. And I pray that the arrows of fate, sometimes so cruel and heartless, may miss them all together, and if they do touch them, may it be ever so gently, so they may only become better and stronger people because of it.
The landscape of 2020 was, for me as it was for most people, not at all what I expected.
I remember first writing about the corona virus and trying to decide if I should capitalize the word or not. For me, as a journalist, it was a simply a story to write about, to get the facts, to be accurate and precise as possible and then move on to council highlights or other local news.
But then I discovered that my own life was going to be impacted by this story. And, I had to learn to adjust to living between the lines of the words I wrote.
Change is never as easy as familiarity.
This year brought lots of changes, lots of mountains to climb and challenges to face for all of us.
But, even with all the unexpected changes coming down, causing detours on our own journeys, I have to say I do not think there was one day that went by when I did not find a reason to smile, a reason to feel grateful and a reason to find hope.
Of course, my littlest grandson, (the one with the face of an angel whom I may have mentioned once or twice in previous columns was one of those reasons.)
“Do I make you very happy, grandma?” he asked me in all earnestness, the other day.
“You do, sweetheart,” I replied, equally earnest. “You very much do.”
And I have to say that each and everyone of my grandchildren, those dear and precious branches of my family tree, have unknowingly given me reasons to believe.
They have given me reasons to believe in a better future, reasons to hope, and reasons to keep on keeping on.
And, then there are all the other reasons to believe that the universe, for all its trouble and strife, is unfolding as it should (taken from Desiderata).
The sunset and sunrises that splash across the sky with unequalled splendor, bringing unexplained moments of pure, unadulterated joy.
The sound of a friend’s voice on the phone, quiet moments of solitude, and music, always music to soften the edges of the harshest day.
And finally, when the curtains of the day draw softly to a close, there is always tomorrow.
Happy New Year everyone. May your tomorrows be filled with peace, joy, and love.
Treena Mielke is a central Alberta writer. She lives in Sylvan Lake with her family.