Bill's Musings

Well….2014 is almost done. 12 hours or so from now the year will come to a close and open up another one for us to look at, to plan and hope and enjoy, to cry at times, to suffer losses, but if all goes well, ,the ledger should be on the plus side.

Of course, we all know it’s just another day, and things don’t actually change. But we’ve been conditioned to think that way. In a very real sense, it’s good to have a time-barrier in order for us to keep things relative, fresh, and real.

For my family, 2014 was a mish-mash of the sublime, intense, joyful, and mind-numbing. So many things can happen in a calendar year. As I grow older, I find myself more in tune with what is happening world-wide, likely due to the availability of information on the news and the internet. That’s nnot to say that it’s a good thing. Occasionally I impose a ‘news blackout’ on myself, but truth be told, I feel it’s responsible of ourselves to at least follow current events and form opinions and teach our children that some things just aren’t right. Open discussions abound in our household. I want my kids to at least form their own judgements, but ones based on history, logic, and most importantly, good morals.

2014 saw both my parents and my in-laws slide ever more precariously on the health side of things. In great part, this has led to a resurgence and solidifying of family, both within my own home and from without. A rekindling with sisters near and dear to me has taken place when I thought we may be drifting apart. We are celebrating New Year’s this evening together for the first time in years. That alone says volumes.

No matter what is going on in the world, we will feel it. Some more than others, to be sure. If anything comes out of my own 2014 experiences, it is to not take for granted the support of family and friends, to hope and pray for those suffering situations that are WAY beyond my control, and to do what I can to minimize these effects on my family unit.

Everyone out there, thanks for supporting my blog in 2014. I try to balance family, community, and the ‘occasional’ humourous situation. Here’s to an even greater 2015!!