"Should auld acquaintance be forgot..."

In an effort to mark the New Year's festivities, I decided to look back at my writings from January of last year.

I had just visited my favorite historical city and was a week and a half from resuming classes. I dreaded having to begin the necessary internship application process and lamented the fact that there seemed to be no clear direction. I was excited over my bodhran, penny whistle, Elvish ring, and Department 56 additions.

My next writings were marking the passing of my grandmother. "There's an added degree of peace, somehow. One of the best aspects was getting to know my grandmother better through stories and photographs of her life. The other great aspect was hearing of her devotion to the church and relationship with Christ. It makes me want to get more involved with studies again. I also want to keep ties with family. We have always been close, but more and more, I'm beginning to realize how much I want to maintain that in the future." I feel that Grandma still influences me in many ways. She is one of the main reasons I continue writing, photographing, and documenting memorable moments. I feel that efforts to keep close ties with family members has been much more successful this past year, and I'm thankful for every precious second spent with loved ones. The one area that makes me hang my head is having lost the drive I felt for studies. Despite attempts at regular church attendence, I feel like my experiences are a roller coaster of highs and lows. I know where I want to be, and I have such a desire to get there, but I always seem to get bogged down. I suppose I will always be working to get there.

This year, I'm thankful to have completed classes and long-since determined my internship position. I never would have anticipated stepping into the family role so soon, but it is now impossible to imagine life any other way. I'm very excited by the year that lies ahead. Today is a beautiful, damp, unseasonably warm day. It almost seems like Spring, and I feel infected by the niceness. The tire swing across the yard and the lazy drone of an airplane are calling me outdoors. This year, I'm looking forward to much sunshine, fragrant damp mornings, and open windows with limitless possibilities.