I know , I know. New beginning is redundant . . . but I like the way it reads, just bear with me.

I remember reading the futuristic sci-fi mysteries ( I read everything I could lay my hands on ) that belonged to my big brother Kenneth ( he was an avid reader ). And the year the story took place would be 2000 something. The date alone, 2000, made for scary fiction back then.

In 1957 talking about the year 2000 was something my young brain couldn’t even grasp. Wow, that was way into the future.

But here I sit, enjoying my habitual morning coffee, on the first day of the new year, 2016. And I feel like I’ve been catapulted from 1957 into 2016. It seems like  it happened that quickly!

On the first day of each new year, as a rule, in a melancholy mood, I sift through events and happenings of the year that’s just flown past. I experience pretty much the same emotions each year and in much the same order—they are as follows:

• Wonder and awe at the swiftness of time.
• A bittersweet sadness for times past.
• The creeping in of yet unspoken goals.
• A spark of excitement for what the new year may bring.

The last on my list, that spark of excitement, is the one I’m thankful for. I’m indeed grateful that I still get excited for the year ahead—whatever it might bring!

My wish for you, friends, family and readers, is that you, too, get excited for the year ahead. Set goals. Expect success and good results. Know that if—no, not if, but when things sometimes go wrong, you don’t  buckle under—you buckle up and push harder, or redirect—whichever is needed to keep you on track with your goals. From my home to yours, I wish you much success and good fortune in 2016!

Happy New Year!

Keep God first in your goals and plans, He’s on your side. Until next time—signing off with a :-), Mare